Healing in the Aftermath of War
by Kate-DM4ever
Summary: Voldemort was defeated and the war is over. In the aftermath of the war, Hogwarts School was reconstructed to its former glory and everyone is invited to return for another year. Dumbledore has a huge surprise that will alter their lives forever. DRAMIONE
1. Home Away From Home

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except for the story line. Characters are J.K Rowling's.

**Chapter 1:**

War. When it strikes, it hits everyone remotely near. Loved ones are lost, friends are betrayed, and homes are destroyed. Ending the war still doesn't erase the pain it caused. People are left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath and try to achieve some form of normalcy again.

Keeping this in mind, Dumbledore made a choice that would forever alter the lives of the children returning to Hogwarts School. The twinkle in his eye was more prevalent than ever as he thought about a certain witch and wizard, their fate already decided.

Hermione Granger lay on her bed at Number 12. Taking a break from packing her school trunk, she thought back over the last couple days:

_The hurt from the war was still evident in everyone's expressions and thoughts. The Golden Trio and the remaining Order members had their time to grieve the dead and attempted to heal over the last year._

_Harry had taken the deaths especially hard. He still believed that his friends shouldn't have died because of him. Eventually, with Ron's jokes and Hermione's never-ending logic, Harry forgave himself and things returned to normal; well as normal as it can get in the aftermath of war._

_Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the dinner table when a great midnight colored owl pecked at the window. Their curiosity peaked since only Order members knew the location. Molly Weasley let the owl in and it immediately flew to the table and distributed Harry, Ron, and Hermione's letters from Hogwarts before dumping the rest at the table in front of Molly and retreating back to the night sky. _

_To say that the Golden Trio was surprised would be an understatement. They had heard that Hogwarts School was being rebuilt and was planning to reopen, but they had no idea that it would happen so soon!_

_Due to the events of the previous year, the three best friends were excited to return to the place they considered home for a last year._

_The next day, they all went to Diagon Alley and purchased the necessary school supplies and a couple new treats for themselves, including a new broom for Harry, a couple new books for Hermione, and new Quidditch gloves for Ron. _

Hermione smiled to herself and continued packing. Her trunk was considerably bigger than last year. She had made a few improvements to her overall body image over the last year. Since Voldemort was dead, she had nothing to focus on, so she settled for a makeover.

Hermione found a de-frizz potion that made her hair fall in soft curls down to the middle of her back. She always had a great figure, so she bought some new clothes that showed it off a bit more. She shortened her school skirts a couple of inches and tightened her school blouse a little to make it look fitted and elegant, no longer too big yet not skanky. Hermione also started wearing a little makeup, just a little eyeliner and mascara that really made her chocolate eyes look endless. New makeover in hand and her two best friends behind her, Hermione was ready to start school again. She could only hope it would turn out to be a good year.

Draco Malfoy stood in his bedroom staring at his closet. He flicked his wand and all of his clothes folded themselves and settled in his school trunk. It really was a miracle that he wasn't sentenced to life in Azkaban. Since he secretly switched sides in the war, working as a double agent, he was pardoned from the sentence. All of the other Death Eaters, including his father, were locked up in Azkaban for the rest of their miserable lives. '_Good Riddance'_ Draco thought. His father did nothing but fill his head with lies and force him to take the Dark Mark. As far as Draco was concerned, he no longer had a father.

His mother called to him from downstairs telling him to hurry up and come down for dinner. His mother was the only light in his life. Everyone had no idea that he had changed sides in the war. They thought he was a Death Eater and he was sure to be feared. His mother was his rock, and kept him strong enough to deal with his mistakes and even motivated him to try his best to fix them.

Draco was a changed man. He no longer cared about blood status and rejected anything having to do with the Dark Lord. That said, Draco didn't change THAT much. He still was arrogant, snobby, and entitled. He just wasn't cruel anymore.

Draco was not looking forward to school to say the least. The changes were sure to be immense. He was labeled as a Death Eater. There was no telling what people would think or do to him.

Hermione sighed happily as the Hogwarts Express came into view. Harry and Ron popped in next to her, echoing her smile. They were just making their way over to the luggage car just as a pale blonde head popped into view. Ron snorted and turning to Harry and Hermione said, "I can't believe he has the nerve to show his face here. Why is the Ferret here? Him and his friends have done enough damage." Harry just looked down at his shoes, almost guiltily. His queer behavior granted a puzzled look from Hermione, but he shrugged and Hermione turned to face both boys. "Guys, lets just leave him alone. I'm sure he won't be bothering us."

"Fine", huffed Ron and boarded the train, the other two following close behind. They seated themselves in an empty compartment and Hermione allowed her eyes to close and immediately fell asleep, dreaming of the possibilities that the new year at Hogwarts would bring.

Draco walked up to the Hogwarts Express, taking in its beauty. Nothing had changed about the train and for a second, it seemed as if the war never happened. He calmly walked to the luggage car, ignoring all of the glares he got from his fellow students_. "Ugh this year needs to go by quickly" _he thought. Draco stored his luggage and turned around, a flash of warm brown hair flickered into his vision. He took a few more steps toward the girl and stopped dead in his tracks as he realized it was Hermione Granger. '_Wow. That can't be Granger. She sure does clean up well. Who knew that she was hiding that body under all of her robes!' _Her white cashmere sweater and muggle jeans fit her curves deliciously. Draco's pants suddenly felt a little tight. _'Oh Merlin, I'm going mental.'_

He tore his gaze away from Granger and found an empty compartment. He knew he wouldn't be bothered, so he settled down taking up the whole bench and looking out the window.

The students had finally arrived at their home away from home. Hogwarts stood brilliantly illuminated upon the hill. It looked just like it did before the war. The students walked into the Great Hall and sat down at their respective house colors. The familiar faces and teachers put everyone at ease, that and knowing that Voldemort will not be ruining this year.

Dumbledore sat at his place on the staff table looking down at the students that just walked in. His plan had come together very nicely. Everything was in order and the students were seated. With this knowledge, the Head Master stood up, welcomed the students back, and sealed the fate of the Seventh Years.

The last thing Hermione thought before her world was turned upside down was _'Oh no…Dumbledore has that blasted twinkle in his eye again.'_


	2. The World Crumbles

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the story line. The characters and places are J.K Rowling's.

**Chapter 2: The World Crumbles**

Dumbledore stood up and made his way to the podium at the front of the room. His presence immediately stopped all of the chatter ringing through the Great Hall. He smiled warmly at his students before beginning his carefully worded speech.

"Hello everyone. This year will not be as carefree as your previous years. The war hurt everyone in different ways, some more than others. Families lose loved ones, friends were killed, and homes were destroyed. While these experiences brought a great deal of pain, never forget them. Grow from them. Forgive whom you can and move on with your life. Grieve the dead. Keep their memories in your hearts but never forget to live your life. There is a big difference in being alive and actually living. Rise to the expectations given. The war definitely matured you all in ways some people never have to.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Magic decided to institute a new law that will mature the Seventh Years even more. It's nothing to worry about. Would the Seventh Years as well as Ginny Weasley please stay after the feast? Thank you and enjoy."

With a wave of his hand, a great feast appeared on the table and everyone tucked into their food.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged worried looks. "What do you think this law is about?" Ginny asked, finally breaking the silence. "Well, he did say something about maturity…maybe it has something to do with conquering new spells?" Harry replied.

"Well then why was I asked to stay behind also?" Ginny asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Maybe it's because you were a huge help in the war and fought right along side us." Hermione suggested with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Thanks Hermione." Ginny said, returning the other girl's smile. For now, the friends went back to eating, the subject temporarily forgotten.

All too soon, dinner was over and it was time to face the music. The Seventh Years, plus Ginny of course, reluctantly shuffled toward the Headmaster. Dumbledore smiled at them again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. His voice boomed across the Great Hall as he began his second speech of the night.

"As you all know, there were many casualties that resulted because of the war. The amount of casualties accompanied with the fact that the war was bred on hate due to blood purity, led the Ministry to institute a new law. This law was created to blur bloodlines as well as replenish the population.

You may all be wondering why you are here. The reason is that the new law applies to every one of you. Over the next year, everyone in this room will be married."

A huge gasp sounded from the students, accompanied by a sea of shocked faces. The Headmaster cleared his throat, effectively regaining the audience's attention before continuing.

"The teachers have paired you with another student in this hall. Later in the evening, a little golden sparrow will find you and whisper the name of your soon-to-be-spouse in you ear. Each couple has two weeks to put a wedding together and get married. The marriage must last for at least six years after graduation and a child must be conceived and born before the year is out. The matches are non-negotiable. Make the best out of it…you may be surprised. There has been a new section added to the castle. There are dorms that feature a master bedroom, kitchen, living room, and bathroom. These rooms are assigned to each couple and the couple must live there for the duration of the school year. The décor can be customized to your tastes. You may owl either Professor McGonagall or me with your choices. Also, we have tried to match couples that we know are in love. I am truly sorry about this. Thank you for your compliance."

As Dumbledore stopped speaking and turned around, the crowd broke out into an angry uproar. Already tired and worn, Dumbledore turned to face them again.

"SILENCE!" he yelled. "I do not agree with this any more than you do, but it is the law! It is non-negotiable. Act like young adults. Go back to your common rooms and await the golden birds. Miss Weasley, would you please stay behind for a moment?"

The students left in an angry huff, leaving the Headmaster and Ginny alone. Dumbledore spoke softly, "I know this comes as a shock, but since you and Harry are so in love, we decided to include you with the Seventh Years. If you want, you still have the option to back away. The only downside is that Harry will be forced to marry someone else."

Ginny looked up to him with large eyes. She relied on her famous Gryffindor courage as she answered, "Headmaster, I realize the complexity of the situation. I will have to grow up faster than expected, but I can't watch the man I love marry someone else. I will be a part of this program."

Dumbledore sighed, relieved to not have to break Harry's heart. "That's a wise choice Miss Weasley. I am sure you will be happy with Harry. I expect that your marriage will last longer than the mandatory six years. Goodnight Miss Weasley."

Ginny smiled and walked out of the Great Hall to tell Harry what she had learned.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Draco Malfoy stood off to the side of the crowd Dumbledore had assembled. His dinner was uneventful aside from the fact that Blaise Zabini didn't hate him. Now that was something unexpected.

Draco and Blaise were used to the idea of an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages were common in Pureblood history.

The whole child-by-the-end-of-the-year thing was definitely mental.

'_As long as the lucky girl is attractive' _Draco thought _'I'll survive just fine'_.

Draco and Blaise smirked at everyone's reaction. The arranged marriage was an imminent point in a Pureblood's life. They had their whole childhood to get used to the idea. They chuckled and headed back to the common room.

While he would never admit it, Draco was eternally grateful that his friend had stuck by his side.

They muttered the password to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and stepped through to the common room. Plopping down on a green and silver couch to await their birds, Draco and Blaise caught up on each other's lives.

Apparently, Blaise's father was convicted as a Death Eater and sentenced to life in Azkaban. Blaise was released since he never took the Dark Mark. Blaise had wanted to switch sides in favor of the Light long before the final battle, but he never officially went to the Order. His name was only cleared through his memories, which were given to the Wizarding Court.

A high, trilling noise caught their attention as two golden birds flew in the window. The sparrows, which were no bigger than the palm of Draco's hand, separated and each flew to one of the boy's ears.

Blaise's bird trilled a little louder before whispering something in his ear. Blaise's eyes widened and then he relaxed, schooling his facial features into impassiveness.

Draco's bird repeated the same process. The bird whispered a name in its feather-light voice right in his ear before disappearing in a flash of light. Draco's heart stopped for a second before beating erratically.

"This can't be happening! She hates me! Bloody hell, this better be a joke!" Draco shouted into the common room.

"Who did you get?" both boys asked in unison.

Blaise answered first, "Hannah Abbott".

After a pause, Draco shared the name of his soon-to-be-wife in a disbelieving voice…"Hermione Granger".

HHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Golden Trio hurried back to the Gryffindor Common Room. They immediately went to Harry and Ron's room, locked the door and spelled it to hide it from unwanted ears. Then it began.

Ron was furious to say the least. He was currently dating Lavender Brown, but he didn't want to get married! "The old many is officially off his rocker! I don't want to get married!" Ron shouted.

"Well at least you've got someone! With defeating Voldemort and school and all I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SATE AND NOW IM MARRYING SOMEONE I DON'T KNOW!" Hermione shouted. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She quickly brushed them away. She was scared, but she was angry above all. "This is absolutely ridiculous!" she ranted.

Harry started to provide his input, but Hermione cut him off. "Harry James Potter do NOT tell me that it's going to be alright! You have Ginny! That's the reason she was the only Sixth Year called. You are in love! You two were going to get married eventually anyways!"

She glared at him and then lay back on his bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. _'Maybe in the morning, this will all just be a really bad nightmare'_. This thought soothed her a little, no matter how untrue it was.

Her attempt to relax was thwarted by the high trilling of birds. She opened her eyes as three golden birds, no bigger than her palm, flew in and landed on an individual's shoulder. The birds whispered into their ears and then vanished with a bright light.

Hermione's eyes were wide and unseeing. Her brain was rushing to calculate any way that what she heard was false. She couldn't find one.

"Who did you guys get?" Harry asked.

Ron answered, "Lavender. You?"

Hermione guessed right and Harry answered with Ginny's name and a triumphant smile.

Both boys turned to her, worried about her silence. She was never silent for that long. She looked at them and whispered the two words that named her future husband for the next six years…"Draco Malfoy".

Saying it out loud seemed to confirm that it was reality. Hermione then fell into darkness, passing out on the floor.


	3. An Attempt At CilivityOn Draco's Part

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the story line. The characters are J.K Rowling's.

A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! It means a lot :) And yes Dumbledore is alive in my story. I just love his character, so I kept him alive. Thanks for reading and hope you guys enjoy the rest! For people who were wondering, I am trying to add a new chapter every day.

**Chapter 3: An Attempt at Civility…On Draco's Part Anyway**

Hermione opened her eyes to a bright light and a throbbing headache. She slowly sat up in her bed and took in her surroundings. Recognizing the hospital wing, she hopped off of the bed to go fins Madam Pomfrey.

As soon as Hermione stepped into Madam Pomfrey's office, a purple potion was thrust into her hands. The petite Medi-witch updated Hermione on the past day's events. "Hello Hermione Dear. Drink right up! The potion is for your headache. And before you ask, you fainted after hearing your future-spouse's name. Hit your head pretty hard."

Awareness slammed into Hermione like a ton of bricks. She was to be married to Draco Malfoy! Her worst enemy is to be the father of her child! At 17 no less! _'Yes, I definitely feel sick now,'_ Hermione thought to herself, clutching her stomach.

A question broke through her haze. "Are you alright Dearie?" Hermione turned to Madam Pomfrey and gave a weak thumbs up. "Alright, then you may go. Take the day off from classes though." Madam Pomfrey smiled before retreating to her desk.

Finally free, Hermione walked outside the doors of the hospital wing and ran smack into the one person she didn't want to see…Malfoy.

Sprawled on the ground from the impact, Hermione just stared at the hand he offered her. "Well alright then," Draco mumbled. He bent down and picked her up, one hand under her knee and one on her lower back. Immediately, she protested. "Malfoy, put me down now."

Being the stubborn Malfoy he is, Draco did not oblige. He instead carried her all the way to the Gryffindor portrait. She tried to hop down from his arms. When he still wouldn't let go, she tried threatening. "Malfoy, if you don't put me down right now, I'll hex your balls off!"

He looked at her warily. She really was scary when she was mad. The pink flush to her cheeks and the way her eyes flashed in defiance were almost…endearing, yet terrifying.

Her lips pursed in anger drew his attention. _'Wow'_ he thought. They looked plump and soft…absolutely delectable. For a minute, all he could think about was those perfect lips wrapped around his think shaft, milking him of every drop.

"Malfoy?" Hermione snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality. He gently set her down on her feet. "Right. What I was going to say what that you can't hex my balls off," he smirked.

Accepting the bait, Hermione asked, "And why the bloody hell can't I?"

Draco's smirk grew even more pronounced as he reminded her of a little detail. "If you hex my balls off, the one: sex with me would be strange and limited, and two: we couldn't have children together."

Her eyes widened as it dawned on her the extent of what she would have to do with Malfoy. "Bugger off," was her only reply.

"Actually, I came to make sure you were alright. I heard about your incident and I can't have my future wifey hurt you know." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"It's your fault to begin with! Why in the name of Merlin's saggy balls do we have to get married? Married! I mean really, it's mental!" she ranted at him.

"How is it my fault? Its not like I asked the Headmaster to pair us together!" he retorted.

"Your name was the catalyst of my incident. I was so shocked that I guess I locked me knees or something."

"See Granger, that's not my fault. Shall we go see our new living quarters?" He asked.

"Might as well get it over with, and for the record, you're a huge prat," she mumbled. "I'm going to grab a sweater. Wait here for a second." She darted through the portrait into the common room and up the stairs. Grabbing a sweater off her bed, she walked back down to Malfoy.

When she rejoined him, Malfoy rested his hand on her lower back, guiding her in the right direction. All Hermione could think about was how warm his touch was and the little sparks she felt where he was touching her. He must have felt them too, since he looked at her for a few seconds before running a hand through his platinum locks.

His molten silver gaze turned her legs to jelly. _'The way his hair falls in those gorgeous eyes is extremely sexy,'_ Hermione thought. She mentally reprimanded herself when she realized what went through her mind. This was Draco freaking Malfoy! Thoughts like that would only lead to trouble.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Draco turned to look at her when he felt the little sparks running through the palm that rested on Hermione's lower back. He ran a hand through his hair. She must have felt it too; the curiosity was evident in her warm chocolate eyes. _'She really is beautiful, intelligent, and sexy. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to marry her,'_ he thought to himself. He internally scolded himself for thinking such thoughts. Thoughts like that wouldn't end well. This probably wouldn't end well. _'What were they thinking putting the Slytherin Sex God and the Gryffindor Princess together?'_ He shook his head and steered Hermione toward their dorm.

He led her to a new door under an archway. They stepped through and saw a corridor with rooms on either side.

Before Hermione could take another step, Draco stopped her. "Look Granger, I know I was a complete prat to you before. You didn't deserve anything that I did or said to you. I'm sorry for what I've done and I am definitely trying to make up for it. Can we call a truce?" He held out his hand

Shocked, Hermione opened her mouth and closed it again, trying to find words. "I guess we can call a truce. I can't forgive you yet, but we'll see. Maybe eventually…but you have A LOT of work to do," she smirked and shook Draco's outstretched hand, again marveling and the tingling sensation.

They turned back to the doors along the corridor.

On each door were two sets of initials engraved in the golden plate. Draco found their initials and opened the door to their suite.

They were greeted with the sight of a quaint living room. A deep chocolate couch and a mahogany coffee table offset the crème walls nicely. Bookshelves made of dark wood that were stocked with volume after volume of books completely covered the back wall. The only thing on Hermione's mind was the books. There were so many! She couldn't wait to dive into a good book, curled up on the couch.

On the left was an entrance to a kitchen. The white walls and blue curtains framing the single window was typical English décor. Plates were stocked in the cabinets lining the walls along with glassware. Utensils were stocked in drawers next to the sink. A small blue breakfast table sat in the corner accompanied by two chairs. There was also a refrigerator along one of the walls that was charmed to provide any time of food that the couple wanted, any time day or night.

They wandered into the bedroom and their jaws dropped. There was a gigantic wrought iron bed that was the center focus of the room. An armoire sat by the left wall. A nightstand stood on either side of the bed, one for each of them. A door next to the armoire led to a bathroom. The bathroom contained a shower, sink, toilet, and cabinet. French doors on the wall opposite the armoire led to a beautiful terrace. The railings were covered in tiny lights and one wall was covered in ivy. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Hermione looked at Draco and scowled. "I can't believe we have to live together."

He looked at her and nodded. "I know. Only one bed and one bathroom. Fantastic. I hope you know that I get first dibbs on the bathroom. It takes a little while to look this good." He smirked at her again.

"No way in hell, Malfoy. You've got a lot to make up for remember? That means I get first dibbs, so too bad." Her devious look told him it was not up for discussion.

They started to discuss any changes they wanted to make to their suite. After a seemingly never-ending argument riddled with curse words and insults, they decided how to make the place into a livable area. Draco and Hermione decided to add a desk in the living room, along with two house flags (one from each of their houses), a chaise, a green and silver blanket (much to Hermione's disappointment), and a few couch pillows.

The walls in the kitchen were to be changed to a light blue color. The bathroom was to have a red and gold shower curtain (much to Draco's displeasure) and crème walls. The cabinet was to be enlarged and a mirror was to be added on the door.

The bedroom was to be brown and crème themed as well. The walls were to be crème adorned with a gold trim at the top of each wall. The bedspread would be dark chocolate colored with 1900 thread count crème satin sheets and the furniture was to be turned to a dark mahogany wood.

They, for once, unanimously agreed to leave the gorgeous terrace exactly the way it was.

Draco headed off to class and Hermione made her way up to the Owlery to owl Dumbledore about their choices.

HHHHHHHHHHHH

Hermione spent the long walk up to the Owlery thinking about everything. '_Living with her enemy was not a good idea. Was he still her enemy? He no longer hurt her and actually seemed like a decent human being after apologizing. Sure he was still conceited and entitled and selfish, but was he bad? He was a Death Eater. How he was allowed to come back to school, I'll never know. Well its not like I have much of a choice, so I guess I just have to deal with it. It definitely helps that he is easy on the eyes. I wonder what his muscles feel like without the shirt on.' _She smiled softly.

Being carried by Draco earlier really gave her an insight as to what lay under his shirt. From what she could feel, he was lean, toned and well muscled. '_Quidditch must have done wonders for his body. Seekers do have the best bodies after all.'_ She smiled deviously to herself.

'_Damn my stupid hormones.'_

Hermione penned a short note to Dumbledore about the discussed changes. She folded the letter and found an owl to deliver it to the Headmaster. After this was done, she started the walk back to her room in the Gryffindor common room.

Mumbling the password, she walked up to her room and haphazardly threw some things into her trunk. If her assumptions were correct, her and Draco's suite would be all ready by tomorrow afternoon. _'Ugh…I still can't believe I have to live with that arsehole,' she thought_

Hermione walked to McGonagall's office and asked permission to go to Hogsmeade to get something urgent. Granted permission, Hermione went to the apparation point and with a tug behind her navel, appeared in Hogsmeade.

Finding her destination, she strode into Zelda's, a women's store. After a while of looking around, she finally found nothing that she needed other than one bra and panty set she liked. She really did need a new pair. Hermione searched for another color, any other color, but it was only made in emerald green. _'Figures,' _she thought. She finally decided she loved it enough that she was going to try it on anyway and headed to the fitting rooms at the back of the store.

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at what she saw. The green lace panties hugged her hips perfectly. The color off set her skin tone unbelievably well and she had to admit, she looked drop dead gorgeous. The bra pushed her ample cleavage up and the lace at the top of the bra was see-through until right before it hit her nipples.

She brought the set to the checkout counter and purchased it. _'You never know when you may need some lingerie,'_ she thought to herself.

Purchase in hand, she apparated back to Hogwarts. Lying down on her bed, Hermione read _Hogwarts: A _History until Harry and Ron came back from their classes. _"This whole Malfoy situation is going to be very tricky. I definitely have to talk with Harry and Ron and Ronald's temper will probably get out of control again. I am so not looking forward to this," _she mumbled to herself.


	4. An Explosion and a New Home

DISLAIMER: I own nothing of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter world.

**Chapter 4: An Explosion and a New Home**

Hermione sat up on her bed once she heard footsteps on the stairs. Lavender Brown opened the door to their shared room and smiled at her. Hugging her, Lavender told Hermione that Harry and Ron were waiting to talk to her downstairs in the common room. "I'm so glad you're alright!" Lavender exclaimed before coming back the way she came.

'_Here we go,'_ Hermione thought. She slowly walked down the stairs and was greeted with the sight of Harry and Ron pacing. As soon as they caught sight of her, Hermione was smothered with hugs.

"We were so worried about you! Are you alright?" Harry exclaimed after giving her a crushing hug. Ron echoed his statement, looking her up and down to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"Really guys, I'm fine," she said with a smile. "And I know you two have something to ask me, so just come out and say it already."

"Caught again," Ron smiled, his ears turning slightly pink. "Were you serious when you said that you were paired with Malfoy?"

"Yes." With one simple word, Ron's smile turned to a grimace and his features twisted in rage.

"What? This can't be happening. My best friend and my enemy married? You've got to be joking! He's a fucking Death Eater! It's Draco Fucking Malfoy! No way. This isn't happening. This is absolute bullshit!" Ron yelled, looking at her with angry eyes, pleading her to say it was untrue. "You're going to have a fucking child together! No. No way in hell. I won't let you! You can't carry that prat's child!" Ron ranted at her.

"Trust me, Ronald. I wish I was joking. This is awful, but your attitude is pissing me off! And do not insult whatever child I have! The child will be just as much mine as it is Malfoy's. It's none of your business anyway!" She glared at Ron.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione continued in a more controlled tone. "Before you ask, I already did all the research I could on this law. There are no loopholes, what so ever." The disappointment was evident in Hermione's eyes. "If it makes you guys feel any better, he apologized for the way he treated me and said he was going to try to make up for it. I am definitely using that to my advantage..." She smirked at the idea.

"Now look at you! You're already smirking like Malfoy! This is a bad idea," Harry told her, frowning.

Hermione's face immediately shifted from a smirk to a frown. _'Ugh...Harry's right. This is not good.'_

"Just be careful, Mione. We don't want to see you get hurt." Harry's green gaze rested on chocolate brown.

With a hug, Hermione promised Harry that she would be careful.

On that note, Harry and Ron retreated to the corner of the room for a quick game of Wizarding Chess and Hermione went back to her room to do a little more packing.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Draco was chatting with Blaise in the Slytherin common room when a tapping on the window interrupted them. A midnight black owl greeted them with a hoot and stuck out the leg with two letters attached.

The letters informed Draco and Blaise that their suites were ready to be moved into. Draco had packed up his things hours ago, but Blaise hadn't put a single thing in his trunk yet.

"Yikes. Guess I need to go pack. Good luck living with Granger, you'll probably need it and don't forget to visit me," Blaise said with a smile. "See you later, mate."

"Sure. Good luck with Abbott. See you later, Blaise." Draco returned his smile.

He walked over to the table and grabbed a blank piece of parchment and a quill. Draco smirked as he penned a letter to Hermione. He knew that she would be angry at his letter, but getting her riled up was just priceless. He called for his owl and told it to wait five minutes before delivering the letter.

Draco called a house elf and asked it to bring his trunk to their suite. That done, he walked to the Gryffindor portrait and waited for Hermione to emerge.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hermione sat in the center of her bed, surrounded by books of every subject and color. She was in the process of trying to decide which books to bring with her to the new suite and which books to leave behind here. It was just so hard to choose! _'Screw this...I'm bringing all of them,'_ Hermione decided. She shrunk all of her books and places them in a satchel with an enlarging charm. _'That should do it,'_ she thought.

Right on cue, an owl tapped at her window. She walked over to the window and let the bird in. The midnight black owl held out its leg and Hermione untied the note that rested there. Feeding the owl a treat, Hermione stroked the owl's velvet feathers. It hooted at her and flew off, blending in against the night sky.

Hermione glanced at the seal. Noticing that it was from Dumbledore, she opened the letter and saw the familiar elegant scrawl.

_Miss Granger,_

_I am pleased to inform you that your letter was received and your suite has undergone the delegated changes to your exact specifications. You are asked to move into the suite with Mr. Malfoy at once. Please also be aware that you two have to be married within the next two weeks. I apologize for the rush but it is required for the law. If you have trouble throwing a wedding together yourself in such a short time period, may I suggest contacting Narcissa Malfoy. She has a legendary knack for planning big events on short notice. Thank you for your compliance._

_I hope this letter finds you well. Enjoy your suite._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

'_Great. Well here goes nothing,'_ her thoughts tinged with sarcasm. Just as she was about to turn away from the window, another owl flew up to the ledge. This one was the most beautiful silver-grey color…the exact color of Malfoy's eyes.

She detached the note, already knowing who it was from. As usual, she was right. Malfoy's script was neat and surprisingly boyish.

Granger,

I'm guessing you already got the note from Dumbledore. If I know you, you're already packed. Meet me outside the common room in five minutes. Make sure to wait for me and I'll walk you up to our suite.

See you soon,

Draco Malfoy

She scowled at the letter. He was telling her what to do! _'Oh that is not a smart move,' _she thought angrily. She grabbed her trunk and left right away, intending to leave before he got there.

HHHHHHHHHHH

Unfortunately, luck was not on her side today. As soon as she stepped out of the portrait, she spotted Draco leaning against the wall.

He spoke first, "I figured you wouldn't listen to the letter."

She just scowled and walked past him. "For future reference, don't ever try to tell me what to do. It will never work in your favor," she said over her shoulder.

Draco easily caught up to her and took her trunk out of her hands. "Alright, I probably shouldn't have done that. Can we act like civil adults please?"

"Whatever. And would it kill you to apologize?" she said, her chocolate eyes trained on silver-grey.

"Pretty close to it," he smirked, "The time I apologized earlier was a rare occurrence."

She scoffed. "Right, I forgot that Malfoys never apologize. Silly me." The sarcasm was evident in her voice and it made Draco chuckle.

"Glad you're finally getting it Granger." His smirk grew as her cheeks flushed in anger.

"You're such a pompous git! You know that?"

"Yes, I know," he chuckled again. "Shall we get going? It's almost curfew."

"Fine, but give me my trunk back," she said.

"I may be a pompous git, but I am a gentleman. So, I'll be carrying your trunk," he replied.

"Okay…thanks, I guess. And good luck lugging it up the stairs." She smiled for the first time since their meeting, the image of Draco pulling a heavy trunk up the stairs.

"Sorry to burst your bubble and everything Granger, but I am a wizard so it won't be hard getting it up the stairs." To prove his point, he cast a levitation spell on her trunk and it rose in the air to float behind them.

Hermione's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Whatever, can we please go now?"

"Of course." She could see the laughter dancing in his silver gaze. _'Damn him,'_ she thought to herself.

He took her hand and pulled her in the right direction.

DDDDDDDDDDDD (Draco's PoV)

Draco smiled a bit as Hermione came into view, her features twisted with anger. He was right, as per usual.

He decided to break the silence. "I knew you wouldn't listen to the letter."

She just scowled and walked past him and reminded Draco of a lion cub. "For future reference, don't ever try to tell me what to do. It will never work in your favor," she said over her shoulder.

Draco easily caught up to her and took her trunk out of her hands. He tried to get her to calm down a little. "Alright, I probably shouldn't have done that. Can we act like civil adults please?"

"Whatever. And would it kill you to apologize?" she said, her chocolate eyes meeting his silver-grey ones.

Internally, he laughed. He was taught ever since he was a little boy that Malfoys do not apologize. "Pretty close to it," he smirked, "The time I apologized earlier was a rare occurrence."

She scoffed at him. "Right, I forgot that Malfoys never apologize. Silly me." She sarcasm was evident in her voice and Draco chuckled. She really did look adorable when she was mad at him.

"Glad you're finally getting it Granger." His smirk grew as her cheeks flushed in anger.

"You're such a pompous git! You know that?"

"Yes, I know," he chuckled again. "Shall we get going? It's almost curfew."

"Fine, but give me my trunk back," she said.

"I may be a pompous git, but I still am a gentleman. So, I'll be carrying your trunk," he replied. _'I bet she's shocked that I would help her,'_ he thought.

"Okay…thanks," she replied. _'Yes, definitely shocked,'_ he thought, smirking even more.

"And good luck lugging it up the stairs." She smiled wickedly.

He returned her devious smile and replied, "Sorry to burst your bubble and everything Granger, but I am a wizard so it won't be hard getting it up the stairs." To prove his point, he pulled his wand out of his robes and cast a levitation spell on her trunk. It rose in the air to float behind them.

Hermione's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Whatever, can we please go now?"

"Of course." Internally, Draco was laughing at her reaction. _'This is hilarious!'_ he thought.

He took her hand and pulled her in the right direction.

HHHHHHHHH

They finally reached the door with the arch. Draco pushed the door open and waved his arm, indicating Hermione to pass through before him. When she did, Draco followed, levitating her trunk over to their door.

Hermione pushed open the door and was amazed at what she saw. The suite was perfect! It was decorated down to the smallest detail that she requested and it was absolutely gorgeous!

She turned to Draco and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

He smiled a little and replied, "It's perfect. Great job Granger."

"Thanks. Hold on…where's your trunk?" Her chocolate eyes stared up at him quizzically.

"Oh, I asked a house elf to deliver it. It should be in the bedroom," he replied.

She stared up at him annoyed. _'Didn't he think about everything house elves have to do? He shouldn't have them doing things that he could easily do himself,'_ she thought.

Just as she was about to start a lecture on house elf rights, he stopped her. "Stop right there, Granger. I can practically see the wheels turning in your head. I don't mistreat house elves by the way, so I really don't need a lecture about their rights."

"Fine Malfoy, but seriously, don't have them do things that you could do yourself," she retorted.

"How about we go unpack. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted," he said, turning to her.

"Sounds good to me. I'm beat." Hermione pulled out her wand and levitated it to the bedroom. She set it on the right side of the bed, where she wanted to sleep.

"Who says you get the right side? I always sleep on that side," Malfoy said to her.

"Let's see…I say I get the right side. You can either take the left, or take the couch. Your choice."

Malfoy stepped closer to her until he was only a couple of inches away. "Are you sure you don't want to rethink that, Granger?"

All Hermione could focus on was the fact that his lips were currently an inch away from her own. He smelled like an array of spices and wind-blown grass. It was absolutely delicious.

'_He knows what he's doing too. Ugh…he's such a prat,'_ she thought. Hermione attempted to clear the haze that had settled itself around her brain. It cleared a little, just enough for her to think.

"No way, Malfoy," she replied.

He stepped even closer until his body was flush up against her.

"Are you sure, Granger? It's not that big of a deal," he said, his breath wafting across her face. The haze deepened.

She looked up into his silver gaze and swallowed loudly. She held her ground. "Nice try, but you're not getting my side. I'm not above hexing you, you know."

Her eyes flashed in defiance and Draco must have known there was no way he was getting the side he wanted. He stepped away from her and surrendered, "Alright, fine. I should say I'm impressed that you could resist me. It usually works quite well." He smirked at her again.

"Well I guess not on me. Nice try," she retorted. With a single flick of her wand, her clothes were unpacking themselves and settling into their correct places. The grabbed a tank top and pajama shorts and headed to the bathroom to change. Once she was changed and her teeth were brushed, she exited the bathroom and walked over to the bookshelves in the living room. Browsing the shelves, she picked a book on Wizarding fairy tales and carried it back to the bed.

She could hear Draco in the bathroom getting ready for bed, so she settled under the covers and began to read, her eyelids already drooping.

DDDDDDDDDDD

Draco walked out of the bathroom after unpacking his things and getting ready for bed. He walked past Hermione, lost in a book, and into the living room. Draco plopped down on a couch and thought about what happened last year that changed his philosophy.

All of his life, Draco was raised to believe that Pure bloods were above everyone else. He believed that others, especially Mud- bloods were not good enough to lick the dirt off of his shoes. Draco always had everything he wanted...except his father's love. His father was cruel and unforgiving towards him and Draco hated him for it.

The first time that Draco questioned the beliefs he was taught, was during the war. There was one particular Death Eater meeting that was spent talking about Hermione Granger. They were plotting ways to get to her, since everyone knew that she was the brains of the Golden Trio. Even though she was a Mud-blood, the Dark Lord wanted her captured. He told them that she was a person of hight importance and must be captured in order to secure a definite win in this war. If she was nothing but Mud-blood scum, then why was she so important to the Dark Lord?

When Draco became a spy for the Order, he stayed at Number 12 one night a week. He watched how Hermione acted around everyone else. She was full of love and loyalty. She kept the morale up and truly was the smartest witch he has ever met. Of course he still acted openly like a jerk toward her, but he began to secretly admire her.

At school, Hermione constantly got better marks than he did. He hated her for that, not so much because she did better than him, but because his father was never pleased with Draco constantly being in second place.

After Draco's father went to prison, he really questioned everything he was taught as a child. Draco realized that some people are better than others, but it's not because of blood purity. Merlin, the Dark Lord wasn't even a Pureblood and yet everyone cowered down at his feet.

With a lot of encouraging from his mother, Draco began to slowly change his beliefs. As it turns out, Narcissa didn't truly believe what Lucius preached either. With him gone, she was free to teach Draco her set of beliefs. Narcissa spent the last summer slowly removing the hatred from her son's heart. Now, Draco didn't care about blood status.

Life was a lot simpler when witches and wizards were just witches and wizards.

* * *

><p>Draco got up from the couch, his joints cracking from sitting in the same position for so long, and walked back into their bedroom. He was exhausted and it was time to catch some sleep.<p>

He was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Hermione Granger, an open book resting on her chest.

He walked over to her side of the bed, gently lifted the book off of her, and placed it on her nightstand. He pulled the covers up to her chin and pushes an errant curl out of her face. _'Why am I doing something nice? Ugh, my mother has turned me into a softie,' _he thought. He shook his head to rid himself of the mental image that came with that thought.

Draco jumped backward as she tossed in her sleep. He definitely did not want Granger to see him doing something nice, he would never see the end of it.

Returning to his side of the bed, Draco slid under the covers, as far away from Hermione as possible. He slowly drifted off to sleep, his dreams laced with flashes of chestnut curls and warm chocolate brown eyes.

* * *

><p>AN: Please Review! Thanks for reading and I hope everyone liked it. A new chapter should be posted by tomorrow.


	5. An Akward Encounter and a Strange Letter

DICLAIMER: I own nothing in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 5: An Awkward Encounter and a Lot of Planning**

Hermione opened her hazy eyes to see a pale muscular chest. Only half awake, she snuggled into the chest and wrapped an arm around the mystery man's waist. She felt him shift and wrap his arm around her waist to pull her closer.

She inhaled his wonderful scent…his familiar scent. Hermione opened her eyes warily and looked up. Draco's face came swimming into view. Suddenly, she remembered where she was, rather whose arms she was in. Her eyes widened in shock and thrust herself backwards and out of his arms.

DDDDDDDDD

Draco opened his sleep-crusted eyes halfway to see a mess of chestnut curls. He felt someone snuggle against his chest and throw an arm around his waist. Having a reputation of Slytherin Sex God, this wasn't an unusual occurrence. He closed his eyes again and wrapped his arm securely around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hair smelled like roses. The familiar color of this particular set of curls tugged at the back of his memory, but he ignored it, choosing to close his eyes instead.

Suddenly, it dawned on him who those curls belonged to. He felt her body tense and looked down just in time to see her eyes wide in shock before she threw herself backwards out of his embrace.

Draco could feel disbelief etched on his features as he also launched himself away from her.

HHHHHHHHHH

Apparently, she jumped backwards a little too far. Hermione rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thump. Hearing the echoing thud on the other side, she assumed Malfoy had done the same. She slowly got up and looked into his now familiar face contorted in shock.

She could feel her mouth open and gaping. She quickly shut it and the audible snap ended the uncomfortable silence.

"That did not happen," Hermione told Draco, determined to forget the whole thing.

"Sure. Never happened," he replied quickly, equally determined to forget.

With that said, Hermione walked over to the bathroom and started the shower. Getting in, she let the warm water cascade through her curls and down her back. She sighed contentedly and grabbed the shampoo. In her opinion, her morning shower was the best part of the day.

DDDDDDDDDDDD

'_She takes bloody long in the shower,'_ Draco thought, annoyed. He decided that she had hogged the bathroom too long.

He grabbed his toothbrush and slowly opened the door to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and brushed his teeth until they were sparkly white.

Turning to leave the bathroom, he heard Hermione start singing. He stifled a chuckle with the back of his hand and turned to look at the shower curtain.

What Draco had failed to realize before, was that the shower curtain was fairly thin. He could make out the shape of her body through the curtain and an unwelcome moan rose in his throat.

Pushing it back down, he cataloged the curves of her body. Hermione was in the middle of washing the conditioner out of her hair, leaving her elegant neck in sight. Her shoulders were small and dainty. Her full breasts protruded from her body in a most appealing way. His eyes followed her flat stomach to her mile-long legs.

Hermione turned the water off, snapping Draco out of his reverie. He high-tailed it out the door and threw himself on the bed with a book. Not a second later, Hermione opened the door, clad only in a towel.

Trying to cover his appreciative look, Draco scowled at her. "Took you long enough." He grabbed his towel and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Seeing her silhouette through a curtain was one thing, but seeing her in nothing but a small towel was overwhelming. He shook his head, hard. _'I am not attracted to her,'_ he thought, trying to deny it. His little friend was standing hard and erect in his boxers, as if taunting him. Draco turned on the water on cold, stripped his clothes, and got in. He allowed the chill to run over his body, thankfully reducing his morning problem.

HHHHHHHHHHHH

Hermione got dressed and used a spelled her hair dry. Grabbing her books, she was fully prepared to leave for class. Halfway to the bedroom door, Draco came out of the bathroom, only a white towel wrapped around his waist. Little water droplets cascaded down his muscular chest and over his well-defined abs. One particular drop of water caught in the trail of pale blond hair leading from his navel into the towel. His voice snapped her out of examining his gorgeous body.

"See something you like, Granger?" he asked, an arrogant smirk building on his lips.

Attempting to hide her blush, Hermione retorted, "You wish. Honestly, I've seen better."

The look on his face told him that she had nocked his pride down a couple of notches. _'Good,'_ she thought.

She hurriedly walked out of the room and off to her next class, trying to get the image of Draco out of her mind.

HHHHHHHHHHHH

Hermione spent the rest of the day convincing herself that her reaction to the event earlier this morning was completely natural. She was a teenage girl after all. It was just her hormones acting up. _'There is no way in hell I'm attracted to Malfoy. No way,'_ she thought.

Later that afternoon, Hermione remembered one thing in particular that Dumbledore had asked her to do. It dawned on her that she actually had to get married, and in only 12 days!

'_Shit,'_ she thought. _'There is no way I can construct a wedding alone. I don't even want to get married to that git.'_

'_I better have someone else do it. Who was that woman Dumbledore suggested in his letter? Oh right, Mrs. Malfoy. Fan-freaking-tastic. That should go over well,'_ she thought sarcastically.

Debating how she should bring it up with Malfoy, Hermione headed off to her last class.

As soon as Hermione made it up to her suite, she changed into a tank top and sweat pants. She grabbed the fairy tale book she was reading the night before and curled up on the couch to wait for Malfoy.

He opened the door and threw his school bag down on the couch.

Hermione decided to just ask him outright. "Malfoy, according to Dumbledore, we have to get married in 12 days. There's no way in hell I can put together a freaking wedding by myself…there wouldn't even be a wedding if it were up to me. Dumbledore suggested your mother's help, so can you owl her please?"

"Trust me, I don't want to get married either. But yeah, I'll owl her I guess. Not like I have a choice. If she found out I got married without including her in the planning, she would have a fucking tantrum," Draco replied.

As an afterthought, he added, "Just to warn you, she can get out of control with the party planning stuff."

Hermione nodded warily and went to the desk in the corner of the room to finish up her homework.

HHHHHHH

A tapping noise on the window interrupted her studying. She put her book down on the desk and slowly walked to the window. A peculiar black and white owl was standing on the ledge, looking at her through the glass. Hermione opened the window and the bird immediately stuck its' leg out, a letter attached.

Hermione fed it a treat and sat down on the couch to read the unfamiliar script.

_Miss Granger,_

_Hello dear. Draco owled me about your upcoming nuptials. I must say that it came as a surprise to hear that my son will be marrying because of a law, though I am pleased to hear that you are his soon-to-be-bride._

_I, of course, would love to help you plan your wedding. Please meet me at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow at lunch to discuss things. I am very much looking forward to meeting you on much better terms._

_If there were anyone that could keep up with Draco, it would be you. Your intelligence will match his, your stubbornness will rival his, and you can teach him what it is to love properly._

_I am ashamed to say that Draco's father never taught him what it means to love. He only taught him coldness and impassiveness. To Lucius, showing emotion was a sign of weakness, so he taught Draco to keep up a hard façade._

_I have tried by best to rid all of the hatred from his heart. It is a slow and delicate process, but it is working so far. Please be patient with Draco. If there is one person that could teach Draco what it means to love and be loved in return, I believe it will be you._

_I know you are not marrying for love, and for that I am truly sorry. I only hope that you two will grow to love one another, all in due time._

_I am looking forward to meeting you tomorrow, Miss Granger._

_Sincerely,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

Hermione read the letter through again, still surprised at Mrs. Malfoy's kindness. _'I guess now that Lucius is gone, she can act how she would like,'_ she thought.

She thought back to the part about Draco. _''How sad. His childhood sounds awful. It must be absolutely dreadful not to feel loved by both of your parents. Emotions are not a sign of weakness, they show the world that you are a human being, and strong for being able to share what you are feeling with the ones around you.'_

Hermione promised herself that she would break his cold façade, if it was the last thing she did. According to Mrs. Malfoy, there was an actual human being underneath.

Hermione got up from the couch, ran a hand through her curls, and sighed.

She placed a row of parchment and a quill in her bag for tomorrow's meeting, and headed off to the the bedroom for a good night's sleep.

When Hermione reached the bedroom, she could just make out Draco's sleeping form. She tip-toed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and cleaned her face. Finally done with her night routine, Hermione walked around to her side of the bed and snuggled in under the covers.

This time however, she faced away from Draco, determined not to end up in the same…predicament…that she did that morning, and slowly succumbed to sleep.

A/N: Sorry it's such a short chapter! I'll make it up to you next time. Thanks everyone for reading, hope you like it!


	6. Author' Note Sorry Not a New Chapter!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update for the last couple days. I have been so busy with preparations for my vacation. Later this evening, I'm heading to the airport and going on vacation! I will definitely be writing while on my vacation (I do have an 8 hour plane ride after all) but unfortunately, I won't have Internet access. That said, I can't update for two weeks, but when I get back, I will definitely post a couple of new chapters.

To everyone that is still waiting to read the rest, I am truly sorry it is taking so long. Thank you everyone for reading my story and thanks for your patience! See you all soon.

Pour l'instant, au revoir! Je serai de retour bientôt.


	7. A Meeting and an Interesting Request

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

A/N: Thanks everyone for all of the reviews! It means so much to know that people like this story! Even if some people don't like it, it's alright. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. Good or bad, please share what you think. Thanks again guys(: Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: A Meeting and an Interesting Request**

Hermione opened her eyes to the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. The morning was absolutely perfect. She settled into the soft sheets and the pillow pressed against her back. It was Saturday morning, and Hermione was perfectly content with sleeping the rest of the day away.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the pillow against her back moved. _'Oh, shit,'_ Hermione thought warily, _'Pillows don't move.'_

Trying to be as still as possible, Hermione slowly looked over her right shoulder. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy's pale blonde hair came into view, his cheek pressed into her hair.

''_Ugh…not again!'_ Hermione thought, internally groaning. She tried to get out of bed without waking Draco. She inched her way into a sitting position and to the edge of the bed. Gingerly placing her feet into the plush carpet, Hermione stood up. Looking back, she confirmed that Draco was still sleeping soundly.

Hermione paused for a second, her eyes lingering on Draco's face. He looked so peaceful…so normal. If someone glanced at him now, they would never guess that he was taught to be cruel and impassive, that he was taught to hate anyone with blood status below his own.

As if sensing her gaze on him, Draco cracked an eye open. "Going somewhere, Granger?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.

She turned away to hide her blush and answered him over her shoulder. "Your mother requested a meeting with me today to plan our wedding." Hermione's nose scrunched up when she said the word 'wedding'. _'I really don't want to get married. This is absolutely mental!'_ Hermione ranted inside her head.

With a sigh, she grabbed a pair of pants, a nice blouse, and a jumper. Throwing on her clothes in the bathroom, Hermione had a little time to be nervous. _'From Mrs. Malfoy's letter, she seems like a pleasant woman, but she was still married to a Death Eater and the last time I was tortured in her house,'_ Hermione thought. She shuddered remembering that awful night, that night that had plagued her dreams for months.

Little butterflies twisted her stomach into knots. _'I helped defeat the most powerful evil wizard of all time. I can't be this nervous to meet one woman. Jeez, get it together,'_ Hermione scolded herself.

One last look in the mirror and Hermione strode out into the bedroom and made her way to the door. The soft breeze tousled her chestnut curls while she walked to the apparation point, calming her down ever so slightly. With a pop, Hermione appeared in Hogsmeade village. Finally at the doors to the Three Broomsticks, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

DDDDDDDD

After Hermione left, Draco groggily hopped out of bed and got into the shower, thinking about the letter that his mother had sent him late last evening. To say that he had been surprised to hear his mother's views would be a major understatement.

Relaxed and ready to face the day, Draco got out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around his waist and shaking his hair, he made his way to the nightstand. Sighing, Draco grabbed the letter out of the drawer and scanned it once again. It read:

_My Dearest Draco,_

_I am a little annoyed at this law, but since arranged marriages are a part of Pureblood society, I suppose you would marry eventually. I always hoped that you would somehow marry for love._

_Although, if there is someone who you could respect, and could challenge your intellect, I believe it will be Hermione Granger. She had a big heart and an uncanny sense of right and wrong. I know you do not love her, but I believe that one day you could._

_Now, I trust you remember my mother's engagement ring? I would like you to retrieve it from the vault in the Manor and give it to Hermione. She is your future-bride, whether you like it or not. You must put a ring on her finger, and I trust her enough to take care of one of my most important possessions._

_I love you, my son and I am so very proud of you. I wish you all the happiness that the world has to offer._

_With all my love,_

_Your Mother_

Draco ran a hand through his damp hair. _'Might as well get it over with,'_ he thought. Draco quickly threw on some clean clothes and headed to the apparation point. Within a couple of seconds, Draco was standing at the Manor's front gates.

Draco looked up at his family's Manor with a grim expression on his face. This house was so cold and dark and held so many unpleasant memories. If it was up to him, Draco would never set foot in this house again.

He waved his wand at the huge wrought iron gates. Granted access, Draco made his way down a maze of dark hallways until he reached a blank wall with only a portrait of Draco and Narcissa as decoration. Mumbling the password, Draco stepped into the family vault.

In the corner, lay a lone dark blue velvet box. He pocketed the box, but only after checking that the ring was, in fact, there. On second thought, Draco also grabbed the Malfoy family ring and his grandparents' wedding bands.

Satisfied that he had everything, Draco high-tailed it out of there and apparated away.

HHHHHHHHH

As soon as Hermione opened the door to the Three Broomsticks, she spotted Mrs. Malfoy in a private both in the far corner. Spread around her were every current issue of Bridal magazine out and several bank rows of parchment.

Seeing Hermione, Narcissa waved her over and greeted her with a polite hug and kiss to the cheek. "My dear, it is so nice to meet you on better terms. I am so terribly sorry about what happened last time I saw you, and I really am pleased that you were the one chosen to marry my son," Narcissa said truthfully.

Hermione was a little stunned at her kindness and sincere apology, but responded graciously. "Thank you Mrs. Malfoy. It was war, terrible things happen and I'm okay now. It is nice to meet you on different circumstances. As for the marriage, I will try to be a good enough wife, but I have to admit that Draco and I do not get along very well at all," Hermione replied.

Narcissa smiled at the girl standing in front of her. "Oh I know, Hermione. Please take a seat."

Thanking her, Hermione sat down in the booth across from Mrs. Malfoy. From up close, she glimpsed the actual amount of Bridal things on the table. Her stomach squeezed uncomfortably and Hermione got a little queasy. _'Gryffindor courage…Gryffindor courage,'_ Hermione chanted to herself to calm her racing heart. This was actually happening, she was getting married to Draco Malfoy. It didn't truly seem real until this moment.

Many hours later, a cake was ordered, a venue decided upon, and Mrs. Malfoy promised to take care of all the other preparations, excluding the dress and the honeymoon location. Those two details were left for Hermione and Draco to decide on. Of course, Draco had no say what so ever in what dress Hermione picked. Everything was paid for by Mrs. Malfoy, much to Hermione's distress. Her objections were futile thought. That was one thing Mrs. Malfoy would not budge on.

The wedding was set for one week's time in the Room of Requirement. That only gave Hermione a short amount of time to find a dress. She made a mental note to gather her friends and go shopping soon. Hermione also made one last request.

"Mrs. Malfoy, would you like to come help me pick out my wedding dress with a few of my friends?"

Narcissa's eyes glistened with unshed tears of happiness and hugged Hermione tightly. "Of course, Hermione. I would be honored. I always wanted a daughter you know," Narcissa replied with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione relied.

"Oh and dear, please call me Narcissa. Mrs. Malfoy is just a little too formal for my future daughter-in-law."

Laughing a little, Hermione replied, "Alright, Mrs. Ma- Narcissa. How about tomorrow for dress shopping? Are you free?"

"Sure dear. See you then," Narcissa replied.

Stiff and exhausted, Hermione said her farewells to Narcissa, thanked her, and apparated back to Hogwarts. The walk up to her suite seemed to take forever to her tired legs.

She picked up two blank pieces of parchment and quickly scrawled notes asking her two best girl friends, Ginny and Luna, if they would accompany her wedding dress shopping tomorrow. That finally done, she called her owl to deliver the notes and then she sat down on the couch, promptly falling asleep.

DDDDDD

After fetching the Malfoy rings and grabbing a drink at the Hog's Head, Draco arrived back at the suite to find Hermione fast asleep on the couch. Her chestnut curls were splayed around her face and her shirt had ridden up to her belly button, exposing her flat, tanned stomach.

In Draco's opinion, she looked absolutely angelic. Her curls looked like a halo around her head and her chest rose and fell with her deep breaths. Her eyelashes just brushed the tips of her cheeks, which were risen in a soft smile. That smile made Draco oddly curious about what Hermione was dreaming about tonight.

Not wanting to wake her, he made his way over to the couch and pulled her sleeping form into his arms. "If I keep doing nice things, I am definitely getting soft…ugh this is awful," Draco quietly muttered to himself.

Hearing his soft voice, Hermione unintentionally curled farther into Draco's chest.

Setting her down gently on the bed, Draco pulled the sheets up to her chin and magically transformed her clothes into sleeping attire. Stripping down to only his boxers, Draco stretched his arms over his head before letting them swing back down by his sides. _'If I am to marry her, she might as well get used to how I usually sleep,'_ Draco thought.

With this last thought, Draco got into bed next to Hermione and succumbed to his dreaming subconscious.

A/N: Sorry about the wait guys! I have one more chapter I am almost done typing up that I wrote while one vacation along with this chapter. You guys can expect the next chapter to be posted before the end of the day. Thanks for reading(:


	8. A Fearful Night and an Eventful Morning

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 7: A Fearful Night and an Eventful Morning**

Draco woke up to the sound of a woman's screams, echoing around the room. Wide awake, Draco sat up in bed and scanned the room for the source as well as any sign of danger. His eyes landed on Hermione's thrashing form and knew at once what was wrong…she was having a nightmare. Reaching across the bed, Draco pulled her onto his lap and cradled her in his arms. Shaking her a bit to wake her up, Draco realized that he was actually worried about her. _'Not good…not good,'_ he thought. When she didn't wake up, he shook her a little harder. "Granger, wake up. Granger!" he shouted.

Opening her eyes, Hermione started to cry. Tears dripped down her cheeks, onto Draco's bare chest. Draco cradled the shaking girl into his chest a little further and rubbed soothing circles on her back with one hand. The other hand stroked her soft hair while Draco slowly rocked her back and forth.

A little while later, Hermione's tears were reduced to sniffles and she looked up at Draco. "Thank you, Malfoy," she said.

"Bad dream?" he replied. He was strangely calm, considering the fact that he was holding ex-enemy in his arms, against his bare chest no less.

Hermione sniffled a little more, wiped her eyes free of tears, and nodded her head.

"Want to talk about it?" Draco asked, still rubbing her back.

"Not really," Hermione replied, her voice quiet.

"Sometimes it helps. I promise I can keep a secret," Draco said.

She looked into Draco's eyes. It felt like she was gazing into the deepest, darkest corners of his soul. Finding no sign of insincerity, Hermione conceded and told him about it.

"It was about the war. The Final Battle here at Hogwarts. I just remember all of the blank stares of the dead...all of the blood. The cold and lifeless faces of the friends I've lost have haunted me for a long time. Thinking Harry was dead, losing some of my friends...knowing I'll never see them again. It was just awful. I haven't had a dream like this since I went back to Hogwarts and tonight it just came back in full force," Hermione said, starting to sob a little at the end.

"It's alright. I have those dreams too. Everyone does," Draco said as he wiped away her tears.

Still holding her gently, he laid back down on his pillow.

"Go back to sleep, Hermione. I'll keep you safe," Draco said.

She was shocked that he called her Hermione, and even more shocked that he was comforting her, but it felt too good to resist. She needed someone to be there for her. That, and she was too tired to resist.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Hermione fell into a deep sleep. In Malfoy's arms, not one nightmare plagued her for the rest of the night.

HHHHHHHHH

Hermione woke up, cuddled into Malfoy's chest. Suddenly, the memories of her nightmare and Draco's comforting actions last night came back in full force. She certainly was grateful for what he did. She really needed someone to help her through nights like that. Staying where she was, Hermione just looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the friends she lost.

More silent tears dripped down her cheeks as she remembered all of the good times she had with the people that had died. A voice started her out of her thoughts, "I know you're awake Granger."

She jumped a little before wiping her tears and turning to look at Malfoy. "Thank you for last night. Really," she said to him.

"It's no problem, Granger. Like I said, everyone has those dreams. The sad thing is that all of us are too young to have to deal with something like the loss a war brings," Draco said, looking at her, "Although bad things happen, we just have to try our hardest to move on with our lives. Remember all of the good times you had with your friends, their smiles and laughter. It makes the pain go away just a little bit and it makes life bearable. They will always be alive in your heart."

Hermione just looked at him with a shocked look on her face. Then, her face melted into a smile. "Who knew Draco Malfoy could be so deep?" she said.

"I have my moments. Seriously though, don't tell anyone. You have no idea what that could do to my reputation," Draco said with a returning smile.

Hermione laughed, her sadness disappearing, for the moment at least. "Right. I couldn't damage Draco Malfoy's bad boy reputation now could I?"

He laughed with her, "Exactly."

Finally noticing that she was still in his arms and against his bare chest, she pulled away.

"Well it's time to get up anyways. Seriously, thanks." And with that, Hermione got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, trying to shake the feel of Draco's muscular chest out of her memory. _'Quidditch really did do him a favor,'_ Hermione thought. _'Merlin! I am not thinking about this!'_

Jumping in the shower, Hermione began her morning routine and thinking about the letters she sent to Luna and Ginny.

DDDDDDDD

'_Merlin! I'm turning into a giant softy! This is absolutely ridiculous. I need a drink,'_ Draco thought to himself, getting out of bed. He grabbed a bottle of firewiskey out of his nightstand and poured himself a small amount in a nearby glass. He never drank this early in the morning, but he made an exception today.

Deciding to skip the shower, he got dressed in a pair of charcoal trousers and a white button down shirt, rolled up to the elbows. He may be young, but he was still a Malfoy, and Malfoys dressed to the nines every day.

He grabbed the dark blue box containing his grandmother's engagement ring and put it in his pocket. _'I can't believe I have to do this,'_ he thought.

Walking into the kitchen, Draco made a pot of tea and requested some breakfast from their magical fridge. Just as he sat down to eat, Hermione came in dressed and ready to go. He watched her as she asked the fridge for some breakfast, poured herself a pot of tea, and sat down.

Just then, an owl tapped on the window, signaling the arrival of mail. Automatically, Hermione jumped out of her seat and opened the window. The owl flew in and landed on Hermione's arm, sticking its leg out. Pulling two letters from the leg, Hermione fed it a treat and watched it fly off.

Coming back to the table, Hermione read to two short letters and smiled a little bit.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Draco asked, "What did they say?"

"Well, I have to get a wedding dress today and Luna and Ginny both said they would love to help me out."

"Well good luck with that. Merlin, I hate shopping," he replied.

"Tell me about it. I absolutely despise shopping, but I am happy to see my friends again. I've been so busy that I haven't really talked to them in a while. More than in the Great Hall and on the way to classes anyway."

Draco had to admit, he was a little surprised. He thought all girls loved shopping. _'Oh well, I guess that's a good thing. She'll never ask me to take her shopping,'_ Draco thought.

Fingering the dark blue box, he pulled it out of his box and stood up. "That reminds me." Hermione looked up at him quizzically. "Look I know we used to hate each other and all of that but I'm not the same person I used to be. I know we have to get married because of this stupid law but my mother wants me to do this right." Draco sighed before getting on one knee, opening the box and continuing, "I will try to be a good husband. I can't promise anything other than trying. Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

Thoroughly shocked, Hermione just stared at him for a second. Then, she looked at the ring. It was absolutely breathtaking. An oval diamond sat nestled in a silver band surrounded by ten smaller, circular diamonds. It was blatantly obvious that it was an antique. The diamonds gleamed and shimmered in the light of the kitchen. It was exactly like Hermione…an old soul.

Draco interrupted her thoughts again, "It's my grandmother's engagement ring. My mother thought you would like it."

Then, Hermione laughed. "It's beautiful," she reassured him. "Well it's not like I have a choice, so yes. I will marry you."

"Good to know," Draco said laughing also. He slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and the diamond fit perfectly. "Hmm…that's weird."

"What's weird?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Draco answered, deep in thought. What Hermione didn't know was that the ring was charmed to only fit the true soul mate of the Malfoy proposing. If the girl wasn't the true soul mate, then the ring would never fit her finger, no matter what anyone did. _'That's too weird. She can't be my soul mate…can she? No…no, it's got to be some kind of glitch. Maybe the spell wore off or something,'_ Draco rationalized in his head, although he knew deep down that it was impossible to break the spell. The spell had no glitches and would last for eternity.

Shaking his head, Draco sat back down and finished his breakfast.

HHHHHHHH

Hermione finished her breakfast, sneaking glances down at her new ring. It fit perfectly and it was just so beautiful. She smiled a little bit and excused herself to find Ginny and Luna and go get a dress.

The letters said to meet them in the Great Hall, so Hermione walked down and spotted her friends eating breakfast. Smiling, she walked over to them and sat down after giving each of them a hug. "Hey guys! I've missed you guys so much. How's everything going with your fiancées?" Hermione babbled.

Ginny laughed and replied, "Everything's great Hermione. Look at the ring Harry got me!" She held out her left hand to show Hermione the square diamond on a silver band covered in tiny diamonds. It was the newest style of ring and completely fit Ginny's personality.

"Aww. It's gorgeous Gin!" Hermione replied, excited for her friend. "Well, Luna. Did Theo get you a ring?" (Luna was assigned to Theodore Nott).

"Yes. I really do quite like it," came Luna's dreamy reply. She held out her left hand. There on her ring finger, sat a lovely circular diamond, surrounded by two smaller diamonds, one on each side.

"It's perfect for you, Luna!" Hermione smiled at her friend.

Ginny couldn't hold her curiosity in any longer. "Well Hermione, did Malfoy give you a ring?"

Hermione blushed a little before showing them her newly acquired ring. "Actually yes. He gave it to me this morning. He said that it was his grandmother's engagement ring."

Both of the girls gasped in delight. "Oh! It's absolutely beautiful Hermione! It fits your personality perfectly!" Luna gushed.

Ginny just stared a little. Then she seemed to snap out of it and spoke, "Hermione! It's gorgeous! Did you say it was his grandmother's?"

Hermione nodded her head in affirmation.

"And it fits perfectly?" Ginny continued.

Hermione nodded again.

"Do you know what that means?" Ginny asked incredulously.

Hermione, for once, was stumped. "No. What does it mean?" she said.

"Well, I was reading a book on the Malfoy family last year at school for a project about Purebloods and his grandmother's ring came up. No one knows what happened to Lucius's mother so the ring is definitely Narcissa's mother. Anyways, a long time ago, it was charmed to only fit the soul mate of the Malfoy proposing. If the girl wasn't soul mates with him, then the ring would never ever fit her finger. No jeweler could fix it. If it fits you perfectly, then it means that you are the true soul mate to Draco Malfoy!" Ginny said excitedly.

Hermione suddenly felt a little dizzy. "What? That's not possible. There's got to be a mistake." What she didn't know was that Draco had tried to rationalize it the same way she did.

"Keep thinking whatever you want, Hermione. We better get going anyways. Whose ready to find Hermione's wedding dress?" Ginny asked.

"I am, let's go," came Luna's dreamy reply.

Still shocked, Hermione tried to push the new knowledge to the back of her brain and followed her friends out of the Great Hall to the apparation point. She needed to find a dress, and that was all she was going to think about right now. Getting married to Malfoy was bad enough. Sure he was being nice and everything, but being his soul mate took things to a new level she did not want to be on.

A/N: I have pictures of Hermione, Ginny, and Luna's rings! I'll add them onto the end of this chapter as soon as I can. I'm going out soon so it will probably be a couple of hours before the pictures come up. Thanks for reading! :)


	9. AFancyDress and a StressInducedBreakdown

Hey everyone! So terribly sorry it took so long to update! I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip out of the state and then I had loads of summer work due (who gives 12 pages of essays over the summer?) and I just started school again. It's going to be harder for me to update, but there will be AT LEAST one chapter a week. I'm so sorry it too so long! Hope you enjoy it :) Also, there are pictures of Hermione, Ginny, and Luna's engagement rings on my profile so be sure to check them out! Thanks and Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 8: A Fancy Dress and an Stress-Induced Breakdown**

Half an hour later, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna walked into the only bridal store at Hogsmeade followed by a very regal looking Mrs. Malfoy. The little tinkle of the bell alerted the sales woman that new customers had arrived. She swept out of the backroom to greet the new shoppers and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Narcissa Malfoy.

"H-Hello Mrs. Malfoy. H-How may I help you today?" the sales woman sputtered.

"This is my future daughter-in-law," Mrs. Malfoy said, pushing Hermione forward, "and she is looking for her bridal gown. The wedding is coming up quite fast so we need to find her dress quickly."

"O-Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. You can just sit on those couches while I take Hermione to look at the dresses," the sales woman stated nervously.

With that said, she rushed out of the room, tugging Hermione behind her.

"Relax. She's not going to hex you if you don't please her," Hermione said.

"Of course. Sorry about that. I'm Annabel by the way." She said, taking a deep breath and attempting to calm herself.

"Hey Annabel, I'm Hermione," she said, reaching out her hand.

Shaking her hand, Annabel smiled at her. "Anything in particular you would like to have in your ideal bridal gown? Any specific styles?"

"To be honest with you, I absolutely despise shopping and I have no idea what I want for my wedding dress," Hermione stated.

"Alright then, I'll go pull a few options. You can wait in dressing room number two," Annabel said before rushing off.

Hermione slowly walked over to the dressing room, a million thoughts running through her mind. _'This is actually happening. I'm trying on wedding dresses, the wedding is actually going to happen. The wedding is actually going to happen. The wedding is going to happen soon!'_

Hermione closed the door to dressing room two and sank down until she was sitting on the floor. Her breath was rapid and shallow from the stressful thinking and she knew that she had to calm it down. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself on the beach, basking in the sun.

A sharp knock startled her out of her day dream and Hermione started to freak out again. "Annabel?" she called through the door.

"No," a familiar voice answered. "I know you well enough to know that you're freaking out. Let me in."

Hermione smiled slightly and opened the door. Ginny enveloped Hermione into a hug and sat down in the silver chair along the wall.

"Now, why are you freaking out?" Ginny asked, eyeing her best friend.

"I don't know, Gin. It just didn't seem real before. It was hard enough getting used to living with him. But this? This just makes it real. I actually have to marry him! Marriage! I can't do this! I'm way to young. We don't love each other! I want to get married for love, not because of some bollocks law!"

With that, Hermione sat down again and started to cry. Ginny knelt down next to her and hugged her tightly. "Hermione," Ginny tried. "Hermione, look at me." Two chocolate brown eyes looked up at her, glistening with tears. "It will all be alright. Marriage isn't that much different from what you're doing now. You will still live with him. You will still go to class. You still have friends. The only thing that changes is that now you have a permanent flat-mate. Well, that and your physical relationship."

Hermione calmed down incrementally with Ginny's speech, just to start crying again when she heard the last bit. "Gin! I forgot about that part! How am I supposed to have sex with him! It's Malfoy! I don't want to have sex with him!"

Ginny sighed wearily. "Hermione, geez. Calm down. It's not like it's your first time. You will be completely fine. Just focus right now on finding a really pretty dress to wow Mrs. Malfoy with.

Hermione stood up, calmed by Ginny's words and wiped her eyes. "You're right Gin. Sorry about that. It just takes some getting used to," Hermione said.

Right on cue, Annabel opened the door and brought in a few dresses with various shapes and styles.

Hermione scanned the dresses and felt her heart tug. She always imagined her wedding as a little girl in a huge white church with a huge poufy gown. Over the years, the venue and dress have changed countless times but one thing always remained the same: she would be completely, madly in love with her groom.

A weight settled in her heart but she knew she had to marry Malfoy, and today was the first step. '_Better to get it over with_,' Hermione thought with a grimace.

Ginny, as usual, was perfectly in tune with her best friend's emotions. She wrapped an arm around Hermione's slender shoulders and pointed to one dress.

Annabel took the A-line lace gown out of the plastic wrap and put it on Hermione's petite frame. With another hug from Ginny, Hermione stepped out of the dressing room and walked over to where Narcissa was waiting. The full-length mirror stood there dauntingly as Hermione walked closer. Soon, a gasp emitted from Mrs. Malfoy's throat and Hermione could see herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful, and from the tears in Mrs. Malfoy's eyes, she thought so too. Ginny patted her arm encouragingly and Luna nodded at her.

With their support wrapped around her like a blanket, Hermione straightened her spine, ready to find her dress. She glanced in the mirror again, but shook her head. This was not the right dress…not yet.

A few more trips to the mirror and a few more rejections later, Mrs. Malfoy finally decided to intervene.

Head held high, Mrs. Malfoy walked to the main storage room in the back. Heels clicking, she browsed a few rows of dresses before one caught the corner of her eye. After two hours of dresses that were two low-cut, too conservative, too sexy, too gaudy, too plain, too poufy, and not poufy enough, Mrs. Malfoy found a dress that would not fall in any of those categories. It was perfect. The feeling of victory was settling deep in her bones as she levitated the dress to Hermione's dressing room.

"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Malfoy called, rapping her knuckles on the door.

"Come in, Narcissa. I'm drowning here!" Hermione answered.

Sure enough, Hermione was in the middle of the dressing room with Ginny, surrounded by white dresses on all sides. With a flick of Narcissa's wand, all of the dresses were removed and the one she selected was on the rack.

"I think I found a dress you will like, Hermione," Narcissa said, a smile forming on her face.

Ginny's face split into a wide grin and she started jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh Hermione! It's perfect! Fabulous job, Narcissa," Ginny complimented.

Narcissa's grin grew smug and she helped Ginny slide the soft material over Hermione's head. In no time at all, the zipper was zipped, the straps tied, and Hermione's hair was pulled into a loose bun.

Ginny covered Hermione's eyes as she led her out to the full-length mirror. "Now Hermione, it's absolutely breathtaking. If you don't get this dress, I will take you to St. Mungo's straight away." Ginny removed her fingers as Luna gasped in delight.

Hermione was a vision. Even she had to admit she looked beautiful. The dress was absolutely perfect for her. It had just the right amount of poof. The thin straps tied at the top of Hermione's slender shoulders, showing off her elegant neck. The 'V' cut showed off her cleavage modestly, and the fitted waist and gorgeous flower detail at the waist, showed off how tiny Hermione's waist actually was. From there, the dress flowed out to the ground, the epitome of beautiful.

Hermione smiled at her reflection and looked towards her friends. Luna was smiling with a far-off look in her eye, Ginny was grinning from ear to ear, and Mrs. Malfoy looked at her with tear-filled eyes, nodding her approval.

To everyone's delight, Hermione smiled a huge smile that lit up her chocolate eyes. "This is the dress guys!" she shouted.

Cheers met her ears as she twirled in a circle. A few swishes of Annabel's wand, and the dress was fitted to her perfectly. Hermione really did love the dress, but the only thing she could think was _'Thank Merlin it's over!'_

Mrs. Malfoy insisted on paying for the dress, and in no time at all, the dress was bought, packed up, and on its way to being delivered to the castle.

The women walked back to the apparation point arm-in-arm, smiling the whole way. After goodbyes were said, the girls apparated back to the castle and walked up to their individual suites.

"Thanks again for coming guys," Hermione said, smiling.

"Sure thing. See you later Hermione!" Ginny said, hugging Hermione and running off to her suite.

"No problem at all," Luna said, "You really did look quite beautiful. Draco Malfoy is a lucky boy. See you around." With a dreamy smile, she too walked to her suite.

Unlocking the door, Hermione went over to the bed and immediately plopped down in the center. Hearing Draco turn the shower off, Hermione sighed and pulled herself up. A shower would relax her muscles, and then right to bed she would go.

What she saw next, both frightened and excited her.

DDDDDD

Draco let out a giant sigh. He had been with Blaise all day and he was bloody tired. With nothing left to do but go to bed, Draco hopped in the shower.

Fully relaxed, Draco turned the water off and toweled himself off. _'Hermione's not going to be back until later, so I get the room all to myself.'_ He thought. For this reason, he walked into the room, toweling his hair, and stark naked.

He was greeted with a squeak and a pair of impossibly wide brown eyes. Then, realization dawned. "Bloody hell! What in Merlin's name are you doing home? And stop staring!" Draco shouted, fumbling to cover himself with the towel.

"I-I'm sorry," Hermione squeaked. "I just got back. Why weren't you wearing a towel?"

"Well I didn't think you would be back until later! Stop gaping at me and go take a shower. Honestly, you're going to have to get used to seeing me naked, Granger." Draco said, his smirk returning. "We will be newly weds soon, and the last newly weds I met didn't leave the bedroom for the first three days of the honeymoon. I bet we could beat their record," Draco's smirk grew even wider.

Closing her mouth with an audible snap, Hermione wanted to slap that stupid smirk off of his face. "Not likely, Malfoy. I'm not letting you touch me more than I absolutely have to in order to fulfill the bloody law. Besides, I don't think you would have enough stamina," Hermione shot back with a smirk of her own.

In less than two seconds, Hermione was on the bed, her wrists pinned by her ears and Draco's lean body lying on top of hers. "Don't insult me, Granger. Besides, how would you know? They don't call me the Slytherin Sex God for nothing, Granger." Draco whispered in her ear, eliciting an involuntary shiver from Hermione.

Draco let her up, still smirking.

'_That good for nothing bastard. Well, two can play at that game,'_ Hermione thought, trying to ignore the heat between her legs.

She stripped off her shirt and skirt, standing there in only her black bra and panties, trimmed with white lace. Turning around, she saw Draco staring at her open mouthed.

"What are you doing, Granger?" he said, his voice already a little rougher.

"What does it look like? Taking a shower," she answered. Turning her back on Malfoy, she unhooked her bra, threw it over her shoulder and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and chuckling under her breath.

When the water turned on, Draco let out a groan. _'That witch! She's such a tease_,' he thought. Thanks to her, he was now sporting a full erection from the glimpse of the sides of her bare breasts. He could only imagine what she looked like from the front, and how those breasts would bounce when they made love after the wedding.

'_Ughhh,'_ Draco groaned again. _'Annoying witch.'_

Making his way to the chair in the living room, Draco pulled down his towel and took his length into his palm. Stroking it slowly and squeezing at the right times, Draco was close to the edge. Pumping harder, he imagined himself sheathed inside Hermione, and that was enough to send him over the edge. With a strangled groan, waves of pleasure rippled through his body.

A quick _scorgify _later, Draco headed back to the bedroom to dress for bed. Sliding beneath the warm covers, Draco closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

Feeling Hermione slide into bed next to him, Draco finally was able to fall asleep, knowing she was there, and only good thoughts penetrated his dreams.

A/N: I am putting a picture of Hermione's wedding dress on my profile. In case you didn't read the thing at the top, there are also pictures of Hermione, Ginny, and Luna's engagement rings on my profile. Thanks everyone for reading! Hope you enjoyed it, and please **REVIEW**. It makes my day to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks! :)


	10. A New Dress and A Forced Purchase

Hey everyone! So sorry it's taking so long. I have been absolutely swamped. I'm redecorating and I am trying to fight off a virus. Now that school is starting, I will probably only be able to update once a week, so it might be a little slow. Thanks for your patience and hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 9: Another Dress and a Forced Purchase**

As usual, Hermione woke up tangled in Draco's arms. Draco's arm lay across her upper chest, so close that she could count each individual hair covering his muscular forearms. It was then that Hermione noticed that her leg was thrown over Draco's waist.

Cursing softly under her breath, she slowly lifted her leg off of Draco and back where it belonged. _'Next, the arm…'_ she though, internally sighing. Grasping his wrist in two fingers, she lifted his arm off of her and placed it by his side. Finally free, she started to get up to get ready for the day.

Noticing the lack of heat, Draco's arm involuntarily moved to lie across her waist, effectively trapping her again. With a sigh of defeat, Hermione turned to Draco and proceeded to shake him until he woke.

"What the hell, woman?" Draco asked, his voice still rough from sleep.

"Sorry for the shaking, but you were trapping me," Hermione said, gesturing towards his arm that was still wrapped firmly around her waist.

"Er what?" Draco said, still hazy. "Oh, right. Sorry" He gently released her and rolled back onto his other side to go back to sleep.

"Malfoy, I'm going out today and I probably won't be back until later, but please always wear a towel after you come out of the shower," Hermione said, her cheeks blooming with color from the memory of last night.

"Sure, Granger. Whatever," Draco said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Huffing, Hermione grabbed her clothes and dressed for the day. Exiting the bathroom, excitement started to overwhelm her senses. Today was the day she was helping Ginny pick out her wedding dress.

Humming a soft tune, she made her way to the Great Hall and was greeted with the sight of an anxious Ginny Weasley.

Spotting Hermione, Ginny shouted, "Mione! You're here! Let's hurry up and go!" She grabbed Hermione by the wrist and pulled her back towards the door, barely giving Hermione enough time to grab a scone for breakfast.

They were already half way to the apparation point in a matter of seconds, and Hermione was starting to get a little winded. "Whoa, Ginny. Slow WAY down. The store will be open all day. What's the rush?" she asked, trying to take deep breaths.

"I don't really know. I'm just so excited! So, sorry you're out of shape, but lets go." Ginny retorted, grabbing Hermione's wrist again and continuing on at the same pace.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione sighed and felt the familiar tug of side-along apparation. Seconds later, they were standing in front of one of the most expensive bridal stores in Wizarding London.

"Really Ginny? This place is so expensive! Where are you getting the money?" Hermione said, her voice taking on a worried tone.

"Calm down, Mione. Harry insisted on paying for the dress and sent me to this store," Ginny said, the corners of her lips turning up into a smile. "So come on!"

A witch dressed smartly in a tailored black skirt and satin blue top looked up from the counter at their arrival. Smiling brightly, she welcomed them into the store.

"Hello. I'm Amber. Who is the beautiful bride?" she asked pleasantly.

Laughing, Ginny replied, "Well both of us, but I am the one here to purchase a dress. Hermione has already gotten hers."

"Alright, you two follow me and is there any specifics you would like in a dress?" Amber asked.

At the prompt, Ginny started gushing about her dream dress while Hermione was led to the chair inside the dressing room.

"Alright, Ginny. I'll be right back with a couple of selections," Amber said smiling.

"Mione, I'm worried, what if I don't find the right dress?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening. Hermione stood and pulled her best girlfriend into a hug. "Look at me Ginny. You will find the dress of your dreams today and you will marry the man you love. There's absolutely nothing to worry about, Gin. I promise. Your wedding day will be perfect."

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, Ginny smiled, "You're right of course Hermione. I have absolutely no idea why I'm so emotional. Sorry about that."

Giving her friend one last hug, Hermione sat back in the chair just as Amber came in with the first couple of selections.

"Here we are ladies. Strapless ball gowns as requested," Amber stated, four gigantic dresses in tow.

Ginny squealed with excitement as Amber slid the first dress over her shoulders. With the dress buttoned up, Ginny checked it from every angle before turning to Hermione for her opinion.

"It's gorgeous, Gin, but what do you think? It is your dress after all," Hermione said, answering the unspoken question.

"I like it, but I'm not sure I love it," Ginny said, her eyes turning fearful.

"Don't worry, Gin. You'll find your dress. This is only the first one. Try another one."

Nodding her head, Ginny tried on another dress and immediately let out a gasp. "Oh Mione! It's exactly what I wanted!" she gushed, a blinding smile upon her face.

"Oh Gin, it's so beautiful! You look unbelievably amazing and Harry will love it too," Hermione said, smiling supportively at Ginny.

The dress fit Ginny like a glove. The strapless bodice was a sweetheart neckline and showed off Ginny's cleavage. The lace bodice with embroidered overlay looked stunning and a satin ribbon sat at her natural waist. The skirt was an A-line with an organza wave design and a chapel train completed the dress. It was high fashion and unbelievable gorgeous, just like Ginny.

Ginny's eyes started to water as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Now I'm ready to marry Harry," she said, turning toward Hermione.

"I'll buy this dress, please," Ginny said to Amber.

"Sure thing. I'll go ring you up. Did you say to charge it to Mr. Potter?" Amber asked.

Nodding her head, Ginny twirled one last time before being helped out of her dress and changing back into her street clothes.

While waiting for her dress, Ginny turned to Hermione. "So how are things going with Malfoy?" she asked.

"Fine, I guess. I mean, he's trying to be nice, and he doesn't insult me very often. He hasn't called me a Mudblood either. Not even once," Hermione said, her brows furrowing in thought.

"Well that's good," Ginny answered. "If I wasn't in love with Harry, I would probably go for Malfoy. No offense, but you have to be daft if you haven't noticed how hot he is. I also heard that Quidditch really has done favors for him and as you probably know, he IS the Slytherin Sex God." She said, waggling her eyebrows up and down.

Blushing, Hermione looked down at her shoes. "Well, he isn't bad to look at, especially with the view I got yesterday, but he's still Malfoy."

"Wait a second, what view?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows rising almost into her hairline.

"Well, he didn't know that I was home and he kind of walked out of the shower without a towel on…"

"WHAT? You're SO lucky! Is he as hot as everyone says?" Ginny asked, her words running a mile-a-minute.

"He is rather muscular and he's big…if you know what I mean. A lot bigger than Nick was." Hermione said, blood coloring her cheeks.

"Nick as in your muggle ex-boyfriend that you slept with over the summer?" Gin asked.

"Yes, Gin."

"Whoa, wait. You saw his parts?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Gin! Keep it down! It was an accident, but yes I did."

"And he's well-endowed!" Ginny said, elbowing Hermione and waggling her eyebrows. "Ooh Mione, you're so lucky! People say that he is amazing in between the sheets!"

Laughing nervously, Hermione nudged Ginny to gather her purchase. "Can we not talk about this right now?" she asked.

"Alright, Mione. Hey, do you want to walk around the shops for a little while before we go back? There's one shop I have in mind that I would like to stop by." Ginny asked.

Nodding her head in approval, Hermione followed Ginny out of the shop and linked arms with her.

After a short walk, they were standing outside another store, this one called Platinum Lace. Hermione stopped short. "Gin, why are we at a lingerie shop?"

"Well, I need something for the wedding night and so do you and I'm not letting you leave until you have something sexy to wear for Malfoy." Ginny said, a mischievous grin winding its way up her cheek.

Ginny pushed Hermione in the store and blocked the exit.

The horrified look on Hermione's face spoke more than words ever could. "Look, Mione. You have to have sex with Malfoy so you might as well make it good. He's ridiculously sexy, so I'm going to buy you some lingerie to make you look irresistible on your wedding night. He won't know what hit him." Ginny said, smirking.

"Merlin, Ginny, definitely not. I refuse to try on any lingerie for Draco Malfoy," Hermione stated, crossing her arms defensively.

Less than ten minutes later, Hermione was in the dressing room having different pieces of skimpy underwear thrown at her by Ginny.

Frustrated with the lack of decent underwear choices, Hermione came out of the dressing room with her hands on her hips. "Ginny, there's no way I'm wearing any of this. If you're going to make me do this, at least let me pick it out," Hermione said, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"Fine, but I get final approval," Ginny said. "I'm going to go find something for Harry."

Finally on her own, Hermione wandering up and down the rows of skimpy lace, occasionally picking a piece up to get a better look at it. She held up a midnight blue creation and shuddered. _'Merlin, this stuff is skimpy. Who ever wears this?'_ Hermione thought, replacing the see-through lace thong, only held together with tiny strings.

Sighing in frustration, Hermione looked up towards the ceiling and one bra and panty set caught her eye. It was exactly right, skimpy but not too much so. She grabbed it, and headed to the dressing room.

The light blue corset with lace overlay fit her curves like a glove and was cut low. Her breasts were pushed up, making her cleavage look even fuller than normal. The matching panties were of the same color and fabric, but tied at the hips with satin bows. It was sexy and enticing and also one of Hermione's favorite colors, so she decided to buy it.

"Hey Gin! I found one!" Hermione called out, peeking through the curtains of the dressing room. Seconds later, Ginny's red hair peeked through the curtains and judged Hermione's pick.

Ginny's white teeth showed as she smiled widely and hugged Hermione. "I'm so proud of you! I had no idea you could actually pick something I would approve of. I love it, so take it off and I'll buy it."

"Wow, thanks Gin. I should be offended, but, strangely, I'm not," Hermione said smiling. "Thanks, but I can't let you buy it. It's not that expensive anyways."

"No, I made you try it on, so I am buying it. Want to see what I picked out for Harry?" Ginny said.

"I'm guessing it is unbelievable skimpy so thanks, but no thanks. I'm sure Harry will love it," Hermione said, cringing at the thought of Harry doing anything sexual.

Laughing and blushing, Ginny purchased the two sets of lingerie and linked arms with Hermione while walking back to the apparation point.

Hugging Ginny goodbye, Hermione opened the door to her flat and dropped the bag from Platinum Lace on the couch, before sinking down. Planning to rest for a couple of minutes, she closed her eyes and lay back on the pillows.

HHHHHHH

Hermione awoke to the sound of a door slamming. Opening her eyes, one by one, she was greeted with a shock of platinum blond hair. "Really, Malfoy? You just had to slam the door," she said, annoyed.

Running a hand through his hair, Malfoy replied, "Well sorry Granger, I had no idea you were asleep."

Just then, the shopping bag caught his gaze and he started to smirk. "I had no idea you shopped at Platinum lace. I've been there myself once or twice," Malfoy said, his smirk growing more devilish by the second.

A blush coloring her cheeks, Hermione lowered her eyes. "Ginny made me buy something for…"

"Why did you trail off Granger? Oh…" Draco said, laughing in earnest, "Did you buy it for me?"

"No!" Hermione said, quickly, "Well, kind of, but Ginny wouldn't let me leave until I picked something out and she paid for it."

Draco walked over to the couch, leaning over Hermione to try and peek at what she bought.

Hermione slapped his hand away and pushed on his shoulder, trying to move him away. "No peeking!"

"Aww, you're no fun, Granger." Draco whined.

Hermione pushed his shoulder again, trying to move him but not making it very far. When he was pushed, Draco lost his balance and fell on top of Hermione, her face only inches from his own.

"Whoops, sorry," Draco immediately said, his minty breath washing over her face.

"Whatever Malfoy, but seriously you can get off now," Hermione said. _'His cologne is intoxicating. Spicy and woodsy.'_ Hermione thought, lost in the scent.

He lifted his weight off of her gently and offered her his hand to pull her up. Once they were both standing upright, they went to the bedroom and proceeded to get ready for bed in silence.

Climbing under the soft sheets, they both lay on their backs, looking up at the ceiling.

"Night, Granger," Malfoy said, breaking the silence.

"Goodnight, Malfoy," Hermione returned.

With that, the two turned on their sides and quickly succumbed to sleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! I will post a picture of Ginny's dress on my profile. Please **REVIEW. **It makes me really happy to hear your opinions and the more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to stay up late a couple of nights to post a new chapter. So basically, lots of reviews make me try super hard to post the next chapter as soon as physically possible. (I can always catch up on sleep in the weekends, right? ). So, thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.


	11. A Sneaky Look and a Strange Invitation

Hey everyone! I'm posting this chapter super early as a "thank you" for waiting so long for the last one. After this, I probably won't be able to update until next weekend. So, thanks for reading!

DISCLAIMER: The characters are not mine. Sadly, they belong to J. K. Rowling.

**Chapter 10: A Sneaky Look and a Strange Invitation**

An intoxicating scent broke through Hermione's dreams. Barely awake, she noted that her mattress was actually very comfy, if not a little stiff this morning. Opening her toffee colored eyes, she immediately saw the white of her bed sheets. Except, it was somehow off…

Then, she saw her supposed bed sheets breathe.

'_Crap. Please not again,'_ she thought, praying to Merlin with all of her might. Taking in her surroundings, Hermione noticed that she was, in fact, laying mostly on Malfoy's chest…his bare chest.

'_If there was one thing Ginny was right about yesterday, it was that Quidditch really has done Malfoy a favor. His muscles are amazing…'_ Hermione thought.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the inappropriate thoughts swimming through her head, Hermione sighed and gingerly tried to get up. What she had failed to realize before, was that Malfoy was actually awake.

"Like what you see, Granger?" Malfoy asked teasingly.

Startled, Hermione jumped before answering, "It's nothing special. Can I get up now?"

Chuckles rumbled through Draco's chest and he tightened the arm that was wrapped securely around her waist. "No, you can't. You're warm and I'm trying to sleep, so no moving."

"Malfoy, you've got to be kidding me. Let me up!" Hermione said, the lioness coming out.

"Nope. Like I said, you're warm so tough luck. Go back to sleep if you want," he answered, arrogant as ever.

Huffing, Hermione pounded her fists on his well-developed chest and tried to wiggle her way out from under his arm. All this did was cause Draco to tighten his hold on her. "Granger, seriously, that's not going to work."

Hermione growled at him and decided to wait until he was asleep before escaping. Draco's chest once again shook with laughter. "Did you just growl at me?" he asked.

"Possibly. You're being an inconsiderate git," Hermione replied, a small bite to her voice.

"Well alright then," Draco said, still chuckling, "Go to sleep."

Sighing dejectedly, Hermione laid her head back on his chest, trying to keep as much distance as possible between them and determined to slip away as soon as his breathing evened out.

DDDDDDD

Opening his eyes, mahogany colored hair consumed his vision. He stilled for a moment, checking to make sure her breathing was even and that she really was asleep. He smirked to himself and shifted her weight off of his chest. Finally free, Draco gingerly got up from the bed and made his way into the living room. He turned back once, only to shut the bedroom door, then walked silently over to the package from Platinum Lace still resting on the couch.

He picked it up and shook it once before peeking over the rim of the bag. The light blue garments drew his attention immediately and he lifted each piece, one by one, into the light. He chuckled and a full smile made its rare appearance. He couldn't wait to see Hermione dressed in this blue concoction on their wedding night, and he was even more excited to take it off of her, piece by piece.

She may not be his favorite person in the world, but no one could deny that she was beautiful as well as extremely sexy when she wanted to be. Replacing the lingerie in its rightful place, he slinked over to the bedroom and crawled back under the covers, pulling Hermione back into his arms. Feeling her warmth, Draco immediately succumbed to sleep.

HHHHHHH

Hermione once again shook the sleep from her eyes. Spotting the empty mattress, she sat up in bed and looked around. At this moment, Draco peeked his head out from the bathroom, a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and his lounge pants slung low around his waist. Of course, he was still shirtless.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You better get ready. Classes start soon," he said, smirking as she almost fell out of bed in her haste to get ready.

"Malfoy you prat! Why didn't you wake me!" she shouted, panic setting in.

"Sorry, you looked tired. Stop yelling and start getting ready!"

That said, Hermione hopped out of bed and dressed quickly, forgoing her shower that morning. Grabbing her school bag, she rushed to the kitchen to order some breakfast for herself and Draco. At her request, two small omelets popped out of the magical refrigerator and drifted over to their places at the table.

"Malfoy, hurry up!" Hermione called, already sitting down to eat her breakfast.

Seconds later, Malfoy appeared in the doorway, dressed cleanly but his hair a disheveled mess. Laughing, Hermione ran her fingers through his hair to smooth it out. "Your hair looks like Harry's," she said, chuckling.

Draco frowned. "My hair will never look as messy as his." Backtracking, he added, "Thanks for breakfast, Granger."

"Sure," she replied, and resumed eating.

Breakfast finished and dished magically washing themselves in their sink, the two students rushed to their first class: double Potions with Gryffindors and Slytherins.

They made it in the nick of time, but unfortunately all of the seats were taken except one desk at the back of the room and everyone was already partnered up. At that moment, Snape walked in and Hermione and Draco were forced to take the last desk.

Snape's deep voice boomed across the classroom, "Today we will be brewing Draught of the Living Death. Directions are on the board. Turn in a vial to me at the end of class and don't forget to clean up after yourselves. Any mess left grants an immediate detention."

Hermione turned to Draco, "Alright, well you go get the ingredients and I'll set up the cauldron."

Nodding his agreement, Draco went to the ingredients cabinet and ran smack into none other than Harry Potter. "Potter," Draco greeted with a frown. "Malfoy," Harry returned. Gathering their ingredients, Harry spoke, breaking the silence. "Look Malfoy, if you do anything to hurt Hermione in any way, you're dead."

Chuckling, Malfoy replied, "Don't worry Potter, I believe you. She misses you two, you and Weasel I mean."

A smile overtook Harry's face. "We miss her too. Tell her to come to the common room tomorrow afternoon, after classes."

"I'm not your messenger owl, Potter. Go tell her yourself."

"Fine," Harry replied, frowning.

Hermione looked up just as Harry was coming over. Throwing her arms around one of her best friends, Hermione smiled up at him. "I missed you Harry! I haven't had any time to come and see you!"

"I missed you too Mione! Why don't you come to the Gryffindor common room tomorrow afternoon after classes? All of Gryffindors affected by the marriage law are going to hang out in the common room and we all miss you terribly."

Smiling, Hermione hugged him once more. "Sure, Harry. I'll be there. Better get back to work though, before Snape sees."

"Alright, Mione. See you later!" he said, turning and walking back to Ron.

Just then, Draco walked up to their table, dumping the ingredients down. Working in silence, the pair began to add the ingredients just as the directions dictated.

A few minutes later, Draco broke the silence. "Granger, do you want to have dinner with me tonight? My mother thinks we should go on an official date before the wedding."

Shocked, Hermione just stared at him, her mouth forming an "o" of surprise.

Recovering, she snapped her jaw shut. "Um, sure, I guess. When and where?"

"Alright then. You'll see where later, but be ready by 7 sharp."

Still bewildered, Hermione just nodded her head in agreement and turned back to the potion.

HHHHHH

The rest of the day went by extremely quickly. Her classes were riveting, and she thrived on the new information.

Tired, Hermione made her way back to her suite to find Malfoy gone.

She sighed, sank down on the couch, and glanced at the clock on the wall. 6:30 pm it read. She heaved herself off of the couch and into the bathroom to begin getting ready for her "date".

'_I have absolutely no idea why he is doing this,_' she thought, sighing. She hated not knowing something, especially something having to do with her.

Taking her comb and brushing it through her thick curls, she applied a little more of the de-frizz potion before she was satisfied. A little eyeliner, mascara, and light lipstick later, Hermione was pleased with her appearance. She walked over to her closet, debating on what to wear.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was dressed in a black V-neck sleeveless dress, the hemline reaching a few inches above her knees and a pair of fancy black pumps.

Grabbing her wand, she holstered it in the special pocket in her coat. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Puzzled as to who it could be, Hermione slowly opened the door to find Malfoy standing there, dressed to the tens in charcoal gray slacks and a dark blue silk shirt. His hair was delicately mussed and his eyes sparkled in the light from the corridor.

"What are you doing, Malfoy? You live here too," Hermione asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious next to the blonde man.

"Just trying to be a gentleman. You look lovely, by the way," he returned. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, but don't try anything funny, Malfoy. I have no idea why you are doing this. We both know neither of us has a choice regarding the wedding."

"Well, lets just say my mother thought it would be a good idea to at least get to know each other better before we are bonded to one another," Malfoy said, the trademark smirk carved into his cheek.

Hermione glanced warily up at Malfoy through her lashes. _'Had he really always been that much taller than me? I feel to petite,'_ Hermione thought, taking in the man next to her.

Malfoy held out his arm to Hermione and as she rested her arm in the crook of his elbow, the crack of apparation could be heard.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of a very expensive French restaurant, Restaurant du Palais-Royal. Hermione marveled at the beautiful design and the romantic setting as she was led through the doors to a private table in the back of the restaurant.

Finally seated, they just looked at one another. "So, Granger, tell me something about yourself, something no one else knows," Malfoy said, starting a conversation.

Blushing a little, Hermione just stared at him. "Why don't you tell me your secret first?" she asked, trying to stall.

"Well alright then. I love Quidditch as you know, and I am the Slytherin Sex God, but something no one else knows is that I'm ticklish on my sides," Draco replied, his lips turning up in the slightest smile.

Laughing, Hermione replied, "Okay. Well as you know, I'm intelligent and love reading, but something no one knows is that I detest the smell of coconuts."

He smiled in answer as the waiter arrived. "Bonsoir. Que puis-je obtenir vous deux ce soir?" (Good evening. What may I get you two tonight?)

Draco looked toward Hermione for what she wanted and Hermione just shook her head. "I can't speak French. You order for me please," she said.

"Bonsoir. Nous aurons deux ordres de canard à l'orange avec un panier de petits pains et deux petits salade niçoises s'il vous plait," Draco ordered in fluent French. (Good evening. We will have two orders of duck a l'orange with a basket of rolls and two small salad nicoises).

As the waiter smiled and left, Hermione turned toward Draco and smiled. "Impressive. I had no idea you could speak French."

Smirking at her, Draco replied, "Yes. I also speak Italian fluently. Do you speak any languages?"

"Not really. I know a little Spanish, but other than that no."

With that, their conversation continued flawlessly, only stopping when the waiter delivered their food.

Hermione found out a lot about Draco's past: his family life, betraying the Dark Lord, school, and his friends. Draco, in turn, learned a lot about Hermione: her bravery in the war, her loyalty to her friends and loved ones, her family, and her summer vacations.

By the time the meal was over, both of them were sated and smiling at one another. Draco held the door open for her as they exited the restaurant.

"Who knew, Draco Malfoy is actually a nice person on the inside?" Hermione said, smiling at him.

"Well, not many, so don't go around telling everyone," he said, a smile upturning his lips also.

"Thanks for dinner, Malfoy. I actually had a good time and if we don't fight all of the time, I think this marriage might not be as bad as I originally thought," she said.

"Well thanks, me too. I agree completely. Thank Merlin you are intelligent or I wouldn't be able to have a good marriage. I absolutely can't stand those unintelligent bints that some of my friends find attractive," he said, walking next to her.

"Well thanks I think," Hermione said, laughing in earnest.

Draco took her arm and folded it over his as they walked, chatting in the glow of the moon. When they reached the apparation point, he turned to her and apparated them away.

Reaching the flat once again, Draco opened the door for her and they both entered, rushing to get ready for bed. Finally ready and under the covers, Hermione once more turned to Draco.

"Really, thank you, Malfoy. That was actually pleasant," she said, her eyes shining in the dim glow of the moon streaming in through the windows.

"Sure, Granger," Malfoy replied, "And one more thing I forgot…"

With that, Draco dove on top of Hermione and gently pressed his lips to hers. The kiss started out smooth and gentle. Their lips caressed one another. Hermione's arms came to wrap around his neck and his hands pushed her curls out of the way. _'Who knew that his lips are so soft! He tastes amazing too,'_ Hermione thought, giving into the feeling.

As soon as the kiss started to turn passionate, Draco pulled away chuckling and turned on his side. "Night, Granger."

As Draco's deep breathing filled the space, Hermione was left staring at the ceiling wondering what in Merlin's name had just happened.

A/N: Hope you all liked it! Please **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**. It really makes my day!


	12. An Awkward SituationAn InterestingClass

A/N: I'm sorry this update is so far from the last. I was grounded. You would think I'm old enough for my parents not to ground me. Apparently I'm not. I wrote this whole chapter out by hand a couple days ago and I'm half way through the next one. Expect the next update in the next few days. Thanks to everyone that is sticking with the story! I'm so grateful. Anyways, lets get to the story.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 11: An Awkward Situation and An Interesting Class**

A chuckling noise flittered into Hermione's subconscious, interrupting her pleasant dream. She cracked open one eye and glanced up at Draco. She was once again lying partially on his chest, her curls splayed out over his shoulder. His rumbling laughter vibrated through his chest once again.

"What are you laughing at Malfoy?" she asked, starting to roll off of him.

This only made him laugh harder. He grabbed her arm to keep her from moving.

"Granger, look at where your hand is currently resting," he said in between laughs.

Looking down, Hermione noticed that her hand was resting, as it was for the most of the night, on the front of Draco's emerald green boxers. Snatching her hand away, Hermione's cheeks flooded with blood, tinting her cheeks red.

"Stop being so disgusting, Malfoy. You know I didn't do that on purpose," Hermione said, getting up from the bed.

'_He really is as big as everyone says,'_ Hermione thought, _'Merlin! Why am I thinking about this? It's Malfoy for crying out loud!'_

Hermione combed her fingers through her thick curls, trying desperately to avoid Draco's Cheshire grin. Sighing, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

HHHHH

Hermione and Draco walked down the hall to Potions side by side, chattering on about the upcoming Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch game. "So Granger, who are you going to cheer for: your fiancée or your boy-toy Potter?" Draco asked, smirking down at her.

"He is not my "boy-toy"! Besides, Harry is going to beat you…AGAIN. No amount of cheering will do you any good Malfoy."

"Oh I beg to differ. You know what? Let's bet on it. I will catch the snitch first and beat Potter. If I win, I get to shower with you," Draco said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of a challenge.

Hermione made a face.

"Ugh, you're such a git," she said.

"Oh I know," Draco said, smirking more. "Too scared Granger?"

"Definitely not. Fine, but if Harry catches the snitch before you, you have to wear my underwear around all day…bra and thong," Hermione answered, her own smirk winding its way up her cheek.

Draco grimaced at the mental image as they reached the door to Snape's classroom. "You're on Granger," Draco said.

Leaning right next to her ear, he whispered, "Looking forward to seeing you naked Granger," and sauntered into the classroom.

'_Unbelievable git,'_ Hermione thought before stepping into class.

DDDDD

Draco sat at his desk next to Blaise, furiously writing down the notes presented. Glancing up, his eyes were drawn to Hermione's desk, one in front and to the left of his. Deep in thought, she let the end of her quill glide against her lower lip before once again lowering it to her parchment.

Watching her pull her plump bottom lip in between two rows of straight pearly teeth, Draco felt the air leaving the room and his pants becoming uncomfortably tight. _'What I would give to taste her perfect lips again,'_ Draco thought, lost in the memory of last night's kiss.

Shaking his head, he glanced over at Blaise, who was looking at him quizzically. Blaise folded a scrap of parchment and passed it to Draco, once again glancing up at Snape.

Draco sighed and opened the parchment. Blaise's elegant scrawl appeared:

'What's going on Drake? Between you and Granger, I mean.'

Draco rolled his eyes before scribbling a reply:

'I don't really know, Blaise. I kissed her last night.'

Draco refolded the paper and passed it back to Blaise, who greedily opened it. He scribbled furiously on the parchment before handing it back.

'Nice going. Do you like her like that? I mean you do have to marry her…and soon."

Draco tapped his quill against his teeth before answering.

'I'm not sure. She is incredibly witty and intelligent, not to mention sexy. I'm actually not dreading marrying her. She's far better than one of the silly Pureblood bints that Father would have set me up with.'

Blaise's eyes widened as he read the juicy tid-bit and a predatory smile crossed his face.

'Bet you can't wait to shag her senseless.'

Draco chuckled as he read Blaise's reply and glanced over at Hermione.

'You have no idea.' Draco wrote, before passing it back to Blaise, that blasted smirk engraved in his cheek the whole time.

HHHHHHHH

'_First add the bat wings, then the rat's tails, and don't put more than two Mandrake leaves in or it will explode,'_ Hermione thought, feeling someone's gaze boring holes in her back.

She pulled her wand out and murmured a quick incantation, allowing her to see behind her without actually turning around. Draco Malfoy's ice blue/grey eyes swam into her line of eyesight. Puzzled as to why he would be staring at her, she glanced down at the note he and Blaise were writing.

'I'm not sure. She is incredibly witty and intelligent, not to mention sexy. I'm actually not dreading marrying her. She's far better than one of the silly Pureblood bints that Father would have set me up with.'

'_He really thinks that?'_ Hermione thought, _'Well, I guess he isn't so bad either…He is handsome and intelligent.'_

She ran the end of her quill across her lower lip again while lost in thought and saw Draco's eyes darken.

'_Hmmmm. Interesting,_' Hermione thought, intrigued with that she was doing to Draco. Hermione again glanced down at the paper, just in time to catch Blaise's reply.

Bet you can't wait to shag her senseless.'

Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for Draco's reply.

'You have no idea.'

Hermione smirked and removed the spell. She already knew how to brew this potion perfectly. She should have a little time for some fun.

She reached her arms above her head, stretching slowly. Her shirt tightened around her breasts and pulled out of the hem of her skirt, showing the slightest hint of her toned stomach.

Letting her arms fall down, she scratched an "itch" on her thigh, one or two inches above her hemline, pulling her skirt up ever so slightly.

Draco's sharp intake of breath was all the incentive she needed to keep going. She swiped the quill across her lips one more time and dragged it slowly down the side of her neck.

'_Now the Grande Finale,'_ Hermione thought, an evil smile planted on her cheeks. She let her quill slowly roll off of her desk, tipping precariously on the edge before falling onto the ground below.

"Oops," Hermione said, standing up to retrieve her quill.

Bending at the waist, Hermione picked up her quill, intentionally giving Draco the slightest peek at her dark purple panties. She chanced one look behind her and grinned mischievously as she saw Draco's silver gaze burning with unrestrained lust.

Fun over, she sat back in her desk and reverted her attention to the board, proceeding to finish her notes.

DDDDD

'_That evil little witch. She knew exactly what she was doing to me.'_ Draco thought angrily.

Class had just gotten out and Draco was not standing outside the classroom door, waiting. As soon as he saw Hermione's curly head walk out, he pushed her up against the wall, placing one palm on either side of her head.

"What are you doing Malfoy?" she asked warily.

Ignoring her question, Malfoy asked his own question, "What was that for Granger?"

"Fun," she answered, not bothering with the I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about" excuse.

"Well lets see how you like it then, hmm Granger?" Draco answered.

He kissed the corner of her mouth before trailing feather light kisses across her jaw line and sucking on her pulse. Satisfied with the love bite beginning to form, Draco moved over further still.

Nibbling on her ear lobe, he whispered, "Turned on Granger?"

He smirked against her neck at her soft moan before attacking her plump lips. The kiss was frenzied and primal, filled with lust for each other. They gave and took from each other as their tongues danced together.

Draco slid his hands down from the wall and caressed the sides of her breasts. She moaned softly in approval, her body fully giving in to the sensations. He ghosted a finger over her clothed nipple, feeling it respond fully to his touch. Draco tweaked her hard nub gently, ending the kiss.

He smirked at her gasp and walked away, whistling the whole way.

Just before he turned the corner, he heard a very furious, "What the hell Malfoy?"

Chuckling, Draco turned and headed to the bathrooms. Maybe next time he decides to mess with Hermione, he shouldn't do it in a way that created the steep rod currently resting in between his legs.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to **REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	13. A Friendly Reunion and An Invitation

A/N: New chapter! Finally. I know everyone has been waiting a while and I'm truly sorry it takes so long. My life is so hectic! Hope you enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 12: A Friendly Reunion and an Invitation**

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table with Ginny and Luna, still fuming from the earlier "Malfoy Incident". She didn't know if she was angrier at Malfoy for the fiasco in the hall or the way her body so eagerly responded to his touch.

Cutting her chicken roughly, she speared a piece with her fork and plopped it into her mouth. _'Stupid teenage hormones…'_ she thought.

Smiling at the puzzled expressions on her friend's faces, Hermione politely excused herself to go meet with Harry and Ron in the Common Room.

Her steps echoed off the stone walls as a smile wound its way up her cheeks. She was finally going to see her friends! After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione reached the portrait, contently singing away. She flinched, the grating noise reaching her ears and voiced the password as quickly as possible.

"Go ahead, Dearie," the portrait kindly said before allowing the door to swing open.

The first sight that greeted Hermione's eyes were her two favorite boys, curled up on the plush scarlet couches by the fireplace.

"Mione!" they exclaimed, their eyes lighting up as they saw her.

"Oh guys, I've missed you so much!" Hermione replied, enveloping them in hugs.

"I know, Mione. I've missed you too," Harry said, Ron nodding his head in agreement.

Hermione curled herself into the soft cushions of the couch and grabbed a blanket to drape over her knees. "So Harry, Ron, tell me how the whole marriage thing is going!" she requested, smiling brightly at them.

Harry spoke first, a smile gracing his features. "It's amazing, Mione. Ginny is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. We balance each other out perfectly. She's definitely the love of my life and I just can't wait to marry her and officially make her mine."

"Aww, Harry," Hermione said, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah it's going pretty well. I mean I don't have any complaints," Ron voiced, "Oh and how is everything going with Malfoy? I would be glad to kick his butt if you needed me to."

Hermione's tinkling laugh rang out. "Thanks, Ron but if he needs to get put in his place, I am more than capable to do it myself.

Honestly, everything is actually going pretty well. No one is more shocked about that than me. You can tell that he's trying his hardest to be kind to me, not to mention he is one of the only people whose intellect can keep up with mine. The only thing I worry about is the fact that I'm immensely attracted to him." Hermione continued, red blooming on the apples of her cheeks.

The shocked expressions on her two favorite boys' faces made her burst out in laughter. "Honestly guys, you look as if I have three heads!"

"Well can you blame us Mione? I mean we all used to hate this guy. I know he's changed for the better after the war, but is that really enough for us, especially you, to forgive him for all of his past transgressions?" Harry said, a frown marring his features.

Ron nodded fervently in response.

"Well, at first I was extremely skeptical of him but I got a letter from his mother that explained a few things. His father molded his actions from the time he was a child. He didn't know love and he was taught that showing any emotions was to show weakness. His mother has spent the last summer trying to crack the wall around his heart and she thinks that if he could end up caring for anyone, that it would be me." Hermione explained.

"So what you're saying is that you think you could fall in love with Malfoy and he with you?" Ron chimed in.

"Woah…no. Well I don't know. We are nowhere close to love. He irks me to no end and vice versa. I don't love him, nor does he love me, but I do think that this marriage could work." She said.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his dark, tangled locks. "Alright, Mione. I trust your judgment. Just be careful."

"I will Harry," Hermione said, smiling up at him. "Oh, by the way Harry, you have to win the game tomorrow against Slytherin. You HAVE to. Got it?"

"I'm planning on it, but why is it so important Mione?" Harry said, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

"Lets just say I have a bet with Malfoy and I really can't afford to lose," Hermione said, grimacing.

"Alright Mione. I don't even want to know what you bet on," Harry said, "Oh and Mione? Ginny asked me to formally invite you to our wedding. It will be two days from now in the Room of Requirement and don't forget that you're the Maid of Honor!"

Hermione gathered Harry in a hug and kissed his cheek. "I can't wait Harry. I'll be there."

She hugged Ron and kissed his cheek before speaking. "I actually should go talk to Ginny about the wedding. I'll see you two around."

Making her way to the door, Hermione turned around one last time to wave at her two best friends before slipping out into the hallway.

She turned around to head to the Great Hall, hoping to catch Ginny before she left and ran smack into Malfoy.

Sprawled on the cold stone floor, Hermione just stared up at Malfoy, her mouth gaping open like a fish. "What the hell, Malfoy?" she said, acid coloring her tone.

"Sorry, Granger, didn't see you," he said, smirking at her and offering his hand to her.

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up before stepping away from him. "Why do you always have to smirk?" Hermione asked, "It's so unsettling."

"It's my trademark. All the girls love it," he said, amusement flicking in the depths of is silver orbs.

Hermione scoffed, "Right. You're so arrogant."

"I'm aware. Although, I'm not arrogant without reason."

"Whatever, ferret," Hermione said, stalking off in the opposite direction without a backwards glance.

His steps echoed behind her, alerting her that he was following. "Guess what Granger?" he said.

When no reply came from Hermione, Draco continued without a care. "The Quidditch match is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to my reward for winning our bet."

She stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around. "You are not going to win. Harry is going to catch the snitch before you, LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES. There's no point in gloating if you're not going to win." Hermione primly responded.

Draco stared at her, curly hair framing her face, her eyes alight with anger, fists clenched at her sides, and burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?" Hermione asked, exasperated.

"Nothing. Just that you look every bit the Gryffindor lioness. It's quite comical really," he responded, one of his rare smiles gracing his visage.

Stunned at his breath taking smile, Hermione felt her own smile creep up her cheeks. The smile grew into a chuckle, which grew into a full blown laugh. Soon they were holding onto each other, laughing until their eyes watered.

Hermione took a step back and wiped her eyes. "I forgot what we were laughing about," she said, still smiling.

"Me too," Malfoy answered.

Hermione chuckled one last time before saying her goodbyes and going to find Ginny. She only made it two steps before Draco grabbed her wrist.

"Goodnight Granger. See you at home," Draco said, his proximity causing Hermione's breathing to hitch. He kissed her gently on the cheek and sauntered off in the direction of their suite.

"Arrogant prat," Hermione mumbled to herself. _'I really am tired. I guess I can find Ginny tomorrow,'_ she thought before following after Draco.

Twenty minutes later they were both washed and clothed for bed. Hermione crawled under the covers next to Draco and glanced out the window, gazing at the stars. The last thing she remembered was seeing two stars right next to each other, the two brightest in the night sky. A smile graced her features as she was slowly lured into sleep by Draco's soft snores.

A/N: Again sorry for the lateness and the shortness. I really wanted to get at least something up. Thanks for reading and Please REVIEW!


	14. Upping the Stakes and anAnticipated Game

A/N: Hello my lovelies! It's time for a new update! Hope you all enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter, just the story line.

Chapter 13: Upping the Stakes and An Anticipated Game

Something unbearably soft gently tickled the soft skin of Hermione Granger's collarbone and pulled her from pleasant dreams. She squinted against the sun streaming in through the windows and lifted her hand to scratch the persistent itch.

Hermione let out a sharp gasp as her palm connected, not with her own skin, but with soft strands of platinum blonde hair. Fully awake, Hermione glanced down and saw Draco Malfoy's head resting lightly on her chest and his arm slung over her waist.

Her cheeks flushed and she shook Malfoy's shoulder to rouse him from his deep slumber. "Malfoy. Wake up!" she pestered. A low groan was the only reply to her ministrations. "Malfoy! Wake up…now," Hermione said, once again punctuating her words with shakes to his shoulder.

He finally cracked an eye open and stared up at her with his silver depths. "What Granger? Jeez…let me sleep," he said, annoyance coloring his tone.

"Um Malfoy. I can't get out of bed until you move," she said, rouge once again coloring her high cheekbones.

"What are you talking about, you crazy witch? Move your legs to the side of the bed, put your feet on the floor and stand up. It's really not that hard," Draco drawled.

"Seriously, Malfoy. Look at where you are," Hermione said, patiently waiting for him to wake up enough to realize.

Draco reached a hand up to brush his bangs out of his eyes and his hand unexpectedly came in contact with a woman's breast. In this case, it happened to be Hermione Granger's breast.

This jolted through the sleepy haze in Draco's mind and both of his stormy eyes snapped open. He saw Hermione's blushing, slightly angry face above him and slowly slid off of her. "Sorry Granger. That was completely accidental," he said, attempting to lighten the tensions.

Sure enough, the anger slowly melted from her visage and the blush faded to her natural creamy skin tone.

Draco hopped out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder to ask Hermione if she wanted anything for breakfast.

"Just a pot of tea and some scones please," came her muffled reply.

Draco quickly prepared a hot pot of tea and with a simple flick of his wand, an assortment of morning scones sat in the center of the modest table. Draco grabbed two teacups from the cabinet in the corner of the cheery room and set them down on the table. Running his fingers through his hair, Draco sighed and sat down at the table, a copy of the Daily Prophet in his grasp.

Midway into an interesting article about new promising businesses, Malfoy heard a gentle scrape, signifying the chair opposite him had been occupied. He glanced up at said person, the corners of his lips involuntary turned up into the slightest of smiles. Hermione's glossy curls were messy and disheveled from a night of restless sleep.

"What?" Hermione asked, taking a scone and munching on it thoughtfully.

Draco offered the sleeping beauty a cup of tea and methodically poured the correct amount into her cup after her acquiescing nod.

"Nothing at all, Granger. How did you sleep last night?" Draco asked, beginning the conversation.

"It was alright, thank you. I'll admit not the best night of sleep I've ever gotten. How did you sleep?" she replied, her eyes scanning the book she was reading.

"Just fine, thank you," Draco amicably replied.

Suddenly, a smirk creased Draco's cheek. "Do you know what today is Hermione?"

Shocked by the mischievous tone in his voice, Hermione's eyes snapped up from her book and onto the man in front of her.

Her reply was careful and calculated. "No. What is today?"

His smirk grew as he replied. "The Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch Game. I really am looking forward to showering with you tonight."

The baffled look on Hermione's face quickly morphed into a smirk of her own. "Right. Well you would have to win first and we both know that's not going to happen. Hope you enjoy wearing women's undergarments!"

"Nice try but I am definitely going to win. I've trained all season for this game. Bring some scented body wash, won't you?" he returned in his signature drawl.

"Haha. Harry has trained harder and longer, therefore he is for sure going to beat you, AGAIN. Do you prefer pink or yellow lace?" Hermione bantered back, sipping lightly from her tea.

"On you, either," Draco returned. "Guess we'll have to wait until tonight to find out for sure."

"I guess," Hermione sighed.

"Never 'the patient one' are you Granger?" Draco said.

"Absolutely not and you're not so patient either."

"True," Draco conceded.

A slight pause later, Draco's eyes brightened. "Hey Granger, what do you say to upping the stakes?"

Hermione chuckled. "I'm going to win anyway so sure, why not. What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Well if I win you have to take a shower with me, completely naked, AND I get to soap you down," Malfoy said, his smirk growing more pronounced by the second.

"Fine. If I win you have to spend the day wearing my underwear, bra and thong, AND you have to take a Wizarding picture and send it to every one in our year," Hermione returned with a smirk of her own.

"You've got yourself a deal Granger," Malfoy said, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Hermione clasped him hand with her delicate fingers and shook, the thrill of a challenge running through the air.

HHHHH

Many hours later and after a long day of classes, Hermione sat in the Gryffindor stands on the Quidditch pitch with Luna Lovegood. The cold wind whipped at her chestnut curls, turning the tip of her nose and cheeks pink.

"Gosh it's freezing!" Hermione commented, waiting for the game to begin.

"True, Hermione. I think the Snorklacks are at work!" Luna declared, turning to her friend.

Hermione chuckled under her breath and was about to reply as a shrill whistle pierced through the air.

She could just make out Madam Hooch's form in the center of the pitch. Her voice rang out through the crowded stands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! The most highly anticipated match of the year is about to start! Slytherin vs Gryffindor! Would both teams please join me out on the pitch?" Madam Hooch bellowed.

The two teams, clad in their Quidditch uniforms and brooms in hand, walked out from separate sides of the stadium with their heads held high.

Coming to a stop before Madam Hooch, everyone mounted their brooms and hovered a short ways above the ground. Everyone that is, except for one Draco Malfoy and one Harry Potter.

"This year's Slytherin Captain is Draco Malfoy!" Madam Hooch pronounced, accompanied by heavy cheering from the Slytherin stands.

"And this year's Gryffindor Captain is Harry Potter!" Madam Hooch continued, quieting for the loud cheers from the Gryffindor stands.

"Captains please shake hands," Madam Hooch continued.

The two boys grudgingly stepped toward each other and shook hands.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch bellowed. "Let the game begin!" she shouted, releasing the various balls from their confines.

The crowd roared as the biggest game of the year started.

~/~

The wind whipped and the cold stung, but the players refused to stop. With quick turns, barreling spins, and death dives, the Quidditch players danced, red mixing with emerald green.

Goals were scored, first by Gryffindor then followed by Slytherin soon after. This was by far the most well matched game of the season.

HHHHH

An hour later, Hermione sat huddled close to Luna watching the game unfold. Her throat was sore from cheering and the cold had tinted her cheeks and nose red.

The score was 90 to 90, the two teams vying to gain the upper hand. Just as the Slytherins managed to gain control of the quaffle, Draco and Harry shot up further into the sky, the slightest glimpse of gold speeding ahead of them.

As they disappeared into the clouds, Hermione fervently prayed for Harry to catch the Snitch. Fingers crossed and eyes shut tightly, Hermione held her breath as the victor flew down from the clouds.

Cheers sounded as the man came into view and Hermione still kept her eyes tightly shut.

"DRACO MALFOY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" the announcer proclaimed, "SLYTHERIN HAS WON!"

Hermione's heart sank as she opened her eyes. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy hovered on his broom, the snitch grasped in his outstretched hand and a wide grin on his face. Catching Hermione's eyes, he winked at her and flew toward the ground.

Hermione put her head in her hands just as the world went dark.

HHHHH

Hermione opened her heavy eyes to see the polished white walls of the Hospital Wing. She groaned and rubbed her head as she gingerly sat up.

Immediately, her friends rushed her with hugs, telling her how glad they were she was okay.

Ginny, Luna, Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Lavender all stood there, smiling warmly at her.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, still groggy.

"Well," Luna said, "After they announced that Slytherin had won the Quidditch game, you kind of just fainted."

Hermione's eyes widened and a hand covered her mouth as the memory rushed back.

'_The bet! Oh Merlin, the bet. Why on earth did I agree to that? Better yet, how am I going to get out of it?'_ Hermione worriedly thought.

"Hey guys? On a different note, is there a way to get out of a bet?" Hermione asked, hope coloring her voice.

Harry stepped forward. "If two witches or wizards make a bet and shook on it, then no. Not unless the winner allows the loser to back out. If you didn't shake on it, then it technically isn't a real bet in the first place and there is no actual winner or loser."

Hermione buried her head in her hands. _'Merlin, I am so stupid! What am I going to do?'_

Her friends looked at her with concern. "Mione? What did you bet exactly?" Harry asked, taking her hand.

Hermione just glanced up at him and grimaced. "You don't want to know Harry, trust me…"

A/N: Hey every one! Hope it was enjoyable. Pretty please REVIEW! It makes my day if people review!

I would also just like to say thank you to:

**AngelnDevil1**: Thanks(: I'm glad I can keep you on your toes!

**Navidandannie90210**:Thanks so much(: Hope you like this one too.

**Lingo10**: Haha "Drake the Snake". I like that(: Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this new chapter!

**IGOTEAMEDWARD:** Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

**Syd-Shane22**: Thanks so much(: The banter is probably the reason why I love Draco and Hermione so much. Hope you like the new chapter!

**Writingdowndreams**: Thanks so much for reading! I'm so glad you enjoy this story! Hope you like this new chapter as much as you liked the last one!

**Written4u**: Thank you so much(: Your review really made me smile. I hope you like this new chapter!

**Carolrenae**: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you like the new chapter(:

**Katreenee**: Thanks so much(: Hope you're happy with the winner of the bet! I promise to update at least once a week. My life is starting to settle a little(: Hope you like the newest chapter!

**BelleBelles**: Thank you so much(: Unfortunately the way it was planned, Draco had to win the bet! Although, I'll see if I can incorporate another bet later in the story.(: If you have any other ideas about what Draco could do if he lost a bet, feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

**Cintiasnakeblack**: Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your feedback! With the stars, I just felt like putting in another little sign that they were meant to be together. Hermione's subconscious will know that her and Draco are a great match before she does. Hope you like this new chapter! (: See you.

**Justadreamer15**: Thanks for reading. Hope the winner doesn't disappoint and hope you enjoy this new chapter!

**Nieriel Nighthaven**: Thanks so much(: I am terribly sorry about the typos. My life has been so hectic recently and I've just been trying to get a new chapter up as fast as possible. Soon I'll go through all of the chapters and fix all of the typos. Thank you very much. The characters of Draco, Hermione, and Narcissa are very important to me and I tried to write them as true to themselves as I could. I will definitely pick up the pace with their relationship soon, so thanks for the tip. As soon as Hermione's stubbornness abates, the rational side will set in and it will be a little smoother. Right now, Hermione doesn't really know how to feel about Draco, considering that he had tormented her for years and now she was stuck in an arranged marriage with him. Even if she does feel for him, she is very wary of him in general and worries about sharing her life with the one person she was taught to never trust. They are working on it but her stubbornness is her last defense against fully sharing her life with Draco. You can live with someone without letting them into you mind and heart. Thanks for the long review and I hope you like the new chapter! (: Thanks again fro the awesome review.


	15. An Embarrassing Payment and ACleverTrick

A/N: Hey guys! There's finally a new chapter and it does get pretty steamy. Hope you all enjoy!

DICLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 14: An Embarrassing Payment and a Clever Trick**

Later that evening, Hermione Granger checked out of the hospital wing, her steps echoing off the linoleum floor. After a restless afternoon of pondering options, Hermione finally came up with one option that just might work.

A renewed smile sprang up her cheek as she made her way back to her suite. As the door swung open, she came face-to-face with Draco.

Arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow cocked, Draco regarded her. "Where were you all afternoon, Granger?" he asked.

Copying his stance, Hermione replied, "Hospital Wing. Guess I had a little fainting spell."

"Well that's a shame. I was so looking forward to collecting my prize," he stated, his arms falling to his sides.

"Sorry, Malfoy. Never been stood up before?" Hermione returned.

"Ha no," Malfoy said, barking out a laugh, "Although, I am going to collect my reward…right about now actually. Better go get ready Granger."

The smile automatically dropped off of her face as the full realization of what she had to do dawned on her. Sighing in defeat, she made her way to the bedroom.

Unbuttoning her shirt, Hermione heard the shower turn on full blast in the next room. She threw her shirt on the floor and went to work on her bra, then her skirt and panties.

Grabbing her wand, Hermione performed a little invention of her own- an invisibility spell altered to her desire. With this spell, she was completely invisible apart from her head. This way, she could fulfill the bet without breaking her promise to do this completely nude.

Wearing only a smirk, Hermione made her way to the bathroom. Steam assaulted her as she opened the door as well as the sounds of Malfoy in the shower. "Malfoy?" Hermione called out.

"In here, Granger. Why don't you join me?" he said, a smirk evident in his tone.

Shyly, she pulled back the curtain and saw the lean backside of none other than Draco Malfoy. The water cascaded over his muscled shoulders, down his chiseled biceps, and down his toned back. From there, it ran a path over his firm bum and perfect legs. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, even Hermione had to admit that.

Hearing her entrance, Draco turned around. His damp hair flopped in his eyes as he regarded what looked like a floating head. "Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione was dazed. His muscles rippled and his defined abs made her mouth water. He even had a little trail of golden hair from his belly button down to his pronounced manhood. _'Oh Merlin, he is as big as everyone says,'_ Hermione thought, lust clouding her brain. _'Concentrate! I need to keep the spell up!'_

Hearing his question, Hermione reluctantly dragged her eyes back to his face. "What?" she asked.

"Why are you just a head?" he asked, combing his hair out of his eyes.

"Special altered invisibility spell. I'm still naked, so I'm still fulfilling the bet," she answered.

"Come on! That's not fair at all," Draco answered, pouting.

Smiling at him, Hermione answered, "Yes it is! Sorry. I'm not the brightest witch of my age for nothing."

Seeing the devious twinkle in his eye, Hermione shivered involuntarily. "Fine, then. It's time for a little soap. Come here will you?" Draco asked, a predatory smile gracing his damp features.

Her heart sank as the thought over this little flaw in her plan. She had no choice but to comply. Taking tiny steps, Hermione reluctantly walked over to Draco.

He lathered a little vanilla soap in his hands before he began massaging it into her shoulders. His long fingers kneaded her skin, working out all of the kinks and relaxing Hermione. Traveling down her arms, Draco continued his ministrations. From there, Draco's soft hands reached her waist and he moved upward, lathering soap over her perky bellybutton and flat stomach.

Finally, his hand came in contact with her breast, inducing a shiver from Hermione. Gently, he ran his hands around her pert breasts and squeezed slightly. The soft flesh fit perfectly in his hands, as if he was meant to hold her. He ghosted a finger over her nipples and immediately felt them beginning to pebble.

Hermione gasped at the contact and leaned into his touch. As lust clouded her senses, Hermione lost all concentration and her spell flashed once before disappearing.

Draco sucked in a breath as her gorgeous body came into view. Her damp hair flowed down her back, her lush breasts were perfectly shaped and colored, and her stomach was toned and flat. Her slender legs seemed to go on for miles and a small patch of hair covered her most intimate part from his gaze. All in all, she was absolutely stunning. Draco automatically felt himself grow hard, his painful erection standing proud.

As Hermione glanced at his face, blushing with embarrassment, she saw the lust and admiration in his molten silver eyes.

Covering her face with her hands, Hermione tried to step back, but Draco was too quick. He grasped her hands and pried them away from her face. "Don't hide from me, Hermione. You're stunning," he said, sincerity in his voice.

Seeing her insecure expression, Draco pulled her flush against him into a hug. "Really, Hermione. You're so beautiful. Don't hide," Draco said, comforting her.

Her chocolate eyes gazed up at him, looking for a sign on insincerity. Finding none, she allowed herself to be held.

Draco pulled away as his erection grew even more painful. He smiled at her and continued soaping her down. His skilled hands moved from her breasts to the planes of her stomach, down to the patch of chestnut hair. He soaped the hair softly and ran down her left leg. Pleased, Draco ran his soapy hands up her right leg and let his fingers ghost over her lower lips before straightening up.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Draco said, smiling.

"I guess not," Hermione said, returning his smile.

Suddenly, Draco lurched forward and attached his lips to hers. Draco's pliant lips moved over hers, encouraging a response. The shock wearing off, Hermione began to participate. Soon, the kiss turned passionate. As Draco backed Hermione against the wall, their tongues wrestled for control. She bit down gently on his lower lip as their bodies were pulled flush against each other.

Draco pulled away from her lips, feathering soft open-mouth kisses down her jaw and neck. Hermione's low moan did the strangest things to Draco. His member swelled even more as he brought his lips back to hers. He squeezed Hermione's breast gently and rolled the nipple between his fingers. Her guttural moan tore through his brain.

Feeling more confident, Hermione reached a petite hand down to slowly stroke his erect manhood. Feathering her fingers over the tip, she grasped his member and squeezed ever so slightly. She stroked her hand up and down, picking up speed as a deep moan tore itself from Draco's throat. With renewed vigor, Hermione dropped to her knees, taking Draco between her lips. She bobbed her head up and down, swirling her tongue around the tip as she came up. She licked the underside as Draco threaded his fingers through her hair. "Oh gods, Hermione!" he moaned, close to release.

Taking him in her mouth one last time, Draco shuddered as he released, squirting into her welcoming mouth. Surprising him, Hermione swallowed every drop before licking her lips.

Intent on returning the unexpected favor, Draco turned off the water and hauled Hermione into his arms. Kissing her again, Draco walked quickly to the bed, uncaring about the droplets of water cascading with every step.

Setting her in the center of the gigantic bed, Draco climbed up, pulling her legs apart. As her precious lower lips came into view, Draco growled possessively before diving in. He gently ran the tip of his tongue up her inner thigh before gently lapping up her slit. Flicking her tiny nub with his tongue induced a low moan from Hermione. She tangled her fingers in his damp hair and pulled him close. Inserting one finger in her warm cavern, Draco once again flicked her sensitive nub with his tongue. Fondling her breast with one hand, he inserted another finger and curled them up, hitting that sensitive spot inside her.

She mewled as the pleasure coursed through her body. She could tell she was close to completion. One more flick on his tongue sent Hermione over the edge. Black clouded the edges of her vision as she screamed her release. It was easily the most intense orgasm of her life and she was pleasantly sated.

Draco crawled up to her and kissed her soundly once more before grabbing his wand and flicking off the lights. Too tired for much, he wrapped his arms around the sleepy girl beside him. He kissed her forehead and they both succumbed to sleep, entwined together and unconcerned with the consequences of their night.

A/N: Well that's it! Hope you all enjoy. The wedding will be pretty soon. I know I have to pick up the pace a little. Please REVIEW! It really helps to know what people think.

A big thank you goes to:

**DracoLuver18:** Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter(:

**Cintiasnakeblack:** Hello! I'm fantastic, how are you? Thank you! Haha most definitely(: and that's one of my favorite parts to write! I'm glad you look forward to that. Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Marana1:** Haha ya. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you like this chapter. I love your story! Sorry I think I forgot to review the last chapter, but it was fantastic and I can't wait to see what happens next. :) See you in the next chapter.

**SeekerSun44**: It seems like you like this! Lol I will update as fast as I can. Thanks for reading and reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!


	16. The Morning After and a Wedding

A/N: I know it's been terribly long since I last updated. I've been swamped as of recently and I haven't had any spare time in the last month. I'm so sorry for the long wait! Thank you to those who have stuck around to see this through. To those who are just now discovering my story, please enjoy! Feel free to PM me with any questions, etc. Enjoy!

*****Recap!** Draco caught the snitch, winning the game for Slytherin along with the bet he and Hermione made. Checking out of the hospital wing after her fainting spell, Hermione thought of a clever trick to fulfill to bet comfortably. Preparing to shower with Draco, Hermione rendered herself invisible from the waist down. As he began to soap her down, Hermione lost her concentration and her full body was shown to Draco. They ended up pleasuring each other orally, but didn't make love. Tired and naked, they fell asleep in each other's arms.***

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**Chapter 16: The Morning After and A Wedding**

Hermione Granger snuggled a little deeper into the warmth beside her, loving the way it gently brushed across her skin. The morning light shown through the window, illuminating everything in its wake, including the platinum blonde man beside her.

Awareness struck her full force, as Draco Malfoy shifted in his sleep, unconsciously pulling her closer. Hermione bolted upright and away from Draco, crawling to the edge of the bed.

"Malfoy! What the hell happened last night? And why are we naked?" Hermione shouted, successfully luring Draco out of a deep sleep.

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Draco regarded her warily, as if waiting for an animal to bite. "I got my prize last night Granger, and if I do say so myself, it was rather…gratifying," he said, his eyes raking over her body and grinning widely.

Pulling the sheets up to her collarbone, Hermione blushed a deep red as she remembered the events of the night before.

"Look, Malfoy…about that…" Hermione began.

Cutting her off, Draco gave her a stern look. "Hermione. We are going to be married soon and believe it or not I actually like you a lot more than I originally anticipated. You can't hate me for the rest of our lives or be embarrassed around me and besides; I don't regret anything that happened last night. Do you?"

Looking doubtful, Hermione shrugged. "I guess I don't regret anything and I never hated you…just strongly disliked," she smiled briefly, "and I do see your point about our marriage."

Smiling in relief, Draco replied, "Okay. Good. Although, I get to set some ground rules."

Frowning slightly, Hermione nodded her head for him to continue.

"First, I get to kiss you whenever I desire to do so. You are my fiancée after all.

Second, you call me by my given name. I would prefer my future bride to address me with my first name.

Third, I get to hold you at night. We always wake up intertwined anyways, so why not?

And fourth, please stop shying away from me. Essentially, you are my significant other and I would appreciate if you actually acted like you have any feelings for me. Deal?"

Hermione worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought this over. "I suppose it's alright, but if I have to call you by your given name, you have to use mine. Also, I'm still adjusting to having you as my significant other for the rest of my life, so please be patient with me."

Draco nodded. "I can agree to that."

"Good. Thank you. Now that that's over with, I would like to grab breakfast before classes start." Hermione replied, wrapping the sheet securely around her and gingerly standing up.

"Oh, not so fast," Draco said, pouncing on her and covering her body with his.

"What are you doing?" she asked, concern coloring her tone.

"We did agree I get to kiss you whenever I want and I would rather like a kiss right now," Draco explained, smiling widely.

Catching the signs of another 'Hermione lecture,' Draco quickly covered her lips with his. The kiss was gentle but firm. Their lips gently caressed one another as if truly tasting one another for the first time. Draco flicked his tongue out to gently run it over Hermione's bottom lip, smiling gently when Hermione let out a content sigh.

Breaking away, Draco held Hermione at arms lengths, and they just looked at each other, memorizing their faces. "I could get used to this," Draco smiled as he got off of Hermione and made his way into the kitchen.

HHHHHHHHH

Fully clothed and ready for classes, Hermione followed her nose to the kitchen. She was greeted with the sight of a half-naked Malfoy cooking a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon. His slate grey pajama pants hung low around his hips, just under the 'v' of his hips. His toned back absorbed the sun coming from the window and the relaxed set of his shoulders brought a smile to Hermione's face.

Leaning against the doorframe, Hermione announced her presence. "What are you cooking, Draco?"

Turning around, Draco smiled at her usage of his first name. "Just a quick breakfast." He sauntered over to the table and filled two plates with food. "Take a seat, Hermione and go ahead and eat. I'm going to throw my robes on and I'll be right back," he said, pulling out her chair on his way past.

"Thanks. It smells delicious," Hermione said graciously.

Before she knew it, Malfoy was back in the kitchen, immaculately dressed as usual. He took a seat and they ate together, enjoying Draco's breakfast. Light conversation and teasing banter floated between the two of them and from anyone looking in, it would seem like an ordinary couple in love sharing a morning together.

HHHHHH

Hermione ran around Ginny's room, hopping on one foot to put her strappy heel on and frantically searching for the matching shoe. Her hair cascaded down her back in rich chestnut curls and her face was made up to perfection. A navy blue strapless dress flowed over her curves and to the floor, completing Hermione's look.

Today was Ginny Weasley's wedding day. This was the day Hermione's best girl friend happily married the love of her life, Harry Potter.

After stopping by her flat to tell Draco to get ready for Ginny's wedding, Hermione ran straight to Ginny's room to help her get ready. As the maid of honor, it was her job to make sure everything went perfectly.

Finally finding the shoe's twin, Hermione yanked it out from under a pile of clothes and hurriedly slid her foot in and fastened the clasp. Sighing heavily, she straightened up and brushed off her dress as she went to check on Ginny.

Sitting in front of a huge mirror, Ginny Weasley tried to relax while the three talented beauty specialists worked tirelessly on her hair, makeup, and nails. "How are you doing, Gin?" Hermione asked, only seeing a flash of red hair through the team assembled around Ginny.

"I'm fine Mione. Are you all dressed?" Ginny replied from somewhere inside the human cluster, her voice tinged with worry.

"Yes, Gin. Everything is ready. Your dress is laid out on the bed and everyone is dressed and ready to go," Hermione reassured.

Finally, Ginny emerged. Her hair was piled on top of her head in an elegant bun, stray curls framing her face. Her eyes shown, framed by thick dark eyelashes and her lips were painted to perfection. Hermione felt her eyes tear up as she embraced her best friend. "Wow, Gin. You look breathtaking. Harry is going to be absolutely speechless!"

Grinning, Ginny took a deep breath and walked to the bed. "Help me put this on?" she asked.

Nodding her head in compliance, Hermione gently lifted the wedding gown and carefully lowered it over Ginny's head. Fastening the pearl buttons adorning the back, Ginny sighed.

"Mione, I'm really nervous. I honestly don't know why though. I love him and even if I didn't, it's not like I have much of a choice anyways with this law. It's just…"Ginny rambled, her voice growing faster with each passing word.

"Gin! Slow down," Hermione interrupted. "Harry loves you and you love him. It's your wedding day. You're supposed to be nervous! I promise it will all go away once you see Harry at the end of the aisle. You're getting everything you ever wished for." Hermione gently hugged her friend, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Try to relax, Gin."

Taking a deep breath, Ginny smiled. "Thanks Hermione. I couldn't have done this without you."

Smiling, Hermione gave her hand a squeeze. "Ready to go down? Harry's waiting for his beautiful bride."

HHHHHH

Standing before the doors to the Room of Requirement, Hermione gave Ginny one last hug. "Don't be nervous. Everything will be beautiful and I can't wait to see the look on Harry's face when he sees you," she said with a wink.

Arthur Weasley took his daughters arm and kissed her on the cheek. "Ready sweetheart?" He asked. Nodding her head, Ginny motioned for Hermione to step forward as the doors opened.

Taking the first step down the aisle, Hermione's breath was taken away. The Gryffindor red aisle paved the way to an altar surrounded by floating balls of light. Trails of ivy wound paths up the walls and the ceiling was charmed to look like a starry night. The white bamboo chairs were sitting on a lovely white carpet peppered with roses. Hermione caught Draco's eye from the audience and smiled in greeting. Making her way up the steps to the altar, Hermione smiled to her best friend, Harry Potter, shifting nervously.

The doors opened again and Ginny stepped out. Harry's face light up with a smile so filled with love. Ginny's first few timid steps quickly turned into determined, longer strides as she locked eyes with her intended. Clasping hands, Harry and Ginny turned to face the Ministry Official, ready to be married.

After the ceremony, the newly wed couple was congratulated by all of their loved ones. The Room of Requirement shifted into the venue for the reception and everyone made their way to the dance floor.

Harry and Ginny slowly revolved on the dance floor, holding each other close. Hermione smiled to herself seeing how happy her friends were tonight. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Hermione turned to see Draco's slate eyes gazing at her. "May I have this dance?" he asked, smiling gently.

Nodding, Hermione got up and followed him to the dance floor. He spun her around once before pulling her into his chest. Hermione's hands rested on his chest as he enclosed her in his arms. Kissing her forehead, Draco began swaying to the music.

"Your friends really do seem happy," he commented, nuzzling into her hair.

"They are. They're in love," Hermione replied, smiling.

"Maybe someday we'll be like that," he pondered.

Chuckling, Hermione raised her chocolate eyes to meet his silver ones. "Maybe."

Leaning down, Draco gently captured her lips, tangling his hand in her soft curls. A content feeling rested deep in their chests as the music slowly drifted to a close. "Ready to go to bed? You look rather tired," Draco commented.

"Please. I'm exhausted. Just let me go say goodbye to Harry and Ginny," Hermione yawned, walking out of his arms.

She made her way over to the smiling couple and hugged each of them in turn. "I'm go happy for you guys. The wedding was magnificent," Hermione said, tears forming in her eyes.

"We're so glad you came, Mione," Harry said, his kind green eyes shining.

"Thanks for everything. Really. Your help meant a lot to me," Ginny said, grateful tears threatening to spill over.

Hugging Ginny once again, Hermione murmured, "It was no problem, Gin. I love you like a sister and I wish you the best with Harry, but don't cry! It will ruin your gorgeous makeup." She smiled.

"Thanks, Mione, Truly," Ginny Potter replied.

"My pleasure. Anyways, I'm exhausted so I'm heading to bed. Congratulations guys. I love you both," Hermione smiled, bringing them both in for another hug.

"Love you too," they replied in unison.

DDDDDDDDD

Draco laced her fingers with his as they walked to their flat. Hermione's head rested on his shoulder as she fought to keep her eyes open. "You really should get more sleep Granger," Draco commented.

She rolled her eyes and smiled up at him. "I should. There's just not enough time in the day," Hermione replied over a yawn.

Head drooping again, Hermione's eyes fell closed for a second. Hoisting her up in his arms, Draco carried Hermione's tired form the rest of the way. The soothing rhythm of Draco's steps soon had Hermione fast asleep against his chest. Draco opened the door, pulled off her dress and shoes and laid her in bed dressed in one of his t-shirts.

Shrugging out of his formal attire, Draco stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed beside Hermione. She yawned again and rolled over, resting her head on Draco's chest.

"Thank you Draco," Hermione mumbled in a sleepy voice before she fully gave herself over to sleep.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry again about the wait.

Thank you to:

**Hpfan13**: I'm truly sorry it took so long, but thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**SeekerLuna**: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for your review.

**Angelndevil1**: Lol, you're right! It's getting closer and closer. Thanks so much! Hope you like this chapter and thanks for your review.

**Lingo10**: Hope the wake-up scene lived up to your expectation! Thanks for reading.

**Harlight**: Thanks so much! It means a lot to know people like it. :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Alicemaybrandonjones**: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it. I tried to break away from the cliché a little bit as well as bring Hermione's sneakier side. I really appreciate your review!

**Cgh**: Lol thanks! Sorry it took so long to update. I tried to make this chapter a little longer to compensate for the tardiness of the update.

**Irish** **Thorn**: Thank you so much! It truly means a lot to hear that. Sorry it took so long for the new development and hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Liverpoolsunrise09**: Thank you! I love Draco too. Sorry the update took so long!

**Finch98**: Chloe, thank you so much! I actually have the first chapter of another story written already. I'm waiting to finish this story before I upload that one. I already have too much on my plate and I figured I would finish this before adding more. Sorry the update took so long, but thanks for your support! Hope you enjoyed.

**Justadreamer15**: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter and thanks for the review!

**Cintiasnakeblack**: Hello again. Thanks so much! Lol. I was definitely blushing while I was writing that scene too. The wedding is pretty soon! Thanks so much for your support! I'm so glad your liked it. I really am sorry the update took so long, but I hope you like this chapter!

**Writingdowndreams**: Sorry it took so long! I know it's been a super long wait. Thanks for your patience! Hope you liked this chapter and thanks so much for your review. I'm glad you liked it!

**SlytherinGurrl**: Thanks! Sorry the update took so long. Normally it's faster than this. Hope you liked this chapter!

**O.O**: Sorry it took so long! Thanks for your support! Requests are always welcome. You read my mind! I definitely am giving them a son. Little blonde boys are the cutest and Draco needs a son of his own to love in the way Lucius did not. Thanks so much and sorry it took so long!

**Miss Xavier Malfoy**: Thanks so much! I'm so sorry it took so long to update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I promise to try to update faster!

**Soccernemo21**: Thanks so much! That means a lot to hear(: I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for your review!

**Scarlettfire37**: Thanks so much! I'm terribly sorry the update took so long. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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